A Flash in the Whirlpool
by Apex Soldier
Summary: He helped her. She doesn't know it yet but it's because of him that she strives to be better. He motivates her just as much as she inspires him. Read as Minato cracks Kushina's hard shell and Kushina helps Minato reach his full potential.
1. The Girl with the Beautiful Red Hair

**Hiya!**

**Sorry, it's been a while since I've done anything on this site... Life is just so troublesome -.-**

**Anyways, I've been having trouble continuing some of my other stories and this one's been plaguing my mind since I discovered my love for the pairing... Geez, I really think I'm going to have fun making this... Till my motivation for my other stories come back, I'll probably stay focused on this story...**

**Still, this is my first attempt at MinaKushi and as such, I might make them seem OOC... If I do, let me know and I'll adjust it accordingly...**

**For those who are reading this and know me, I promise I'll get back to my other stories soon... For those who have no clue who I am, well, just enjoy the story...**

**"Anger is just anger. It isn't good. It isn't bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters. It's like anything else. You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice."  
>-Harry Dresden<strong>

**Chapter One/Prologue: The Girl with the Beautiful Red Hair...**

**I don't own Naruto.. If I did, I'd rename the show ****Naruto X Hinata: Ninja Saga...**

**Well, maybe, maybe not... It depends...**

**One more thing... When it comes to certain things, like any activity of the sexual kind or vulgar language, I'm not going to pull any punches... For now, because they're kids, I'll keep both at zero but when they get older, it's fair game... Just a warning of sorts..**

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><p>There were many things wrong with what was happening in the playground near Konoha's ninja academy. First and foremost, a red-haired little girl was lying with her dirt and blood covered face on the ground, two academy boys holding her down. The second was that a third boy lay unconscious on the floor with a bloody nose and a lump forming on his forehead.<p>

The most crucial thing that was wrong, for the boys at least, was that there was a smile on the small girl's face.

"I'll give you two seconds before you two idiots end up like your stupid leader," the girl said as the two boys look at each other before taking a look at their audience; their entire class and then some. While no one witnessed how exactly she knocked out their leader, they had. It was horrible and the way she did it... it really didn't make sense to them. However, she did it and they had seen it with their own eyes.

Still, they weren't about to become the laughingstock of the entire academy, just because they submitted to the crazy redhead; and a girl no less.

"In your dreams, Tomato," one boy taunted half-heartedly. Most of the kids who witnessed this, laughed at the redhead, whose smile disappeared. She replaced it with a frown and a furrow of her brow.

Without warning, a foreboding feeling surrounded the area and those in attendance began to shiver from a fear they felt on an instinctual level, except for a select few who shrugged off the feeling. The two boys shared a look as the girl under them slowly began to rise, as if they weighed a little more than a sheet of paper. She stood and felt a great amount of weight literally fall of her back and turned to glare at the two pathetic young males cowering at her feet.

What would followed next would scar all the males that were watching as the redhead systematically began to destroy the two boys.

The first punch thrown by the redhead sent the boy on the left flying into the crowd. Even the redhead had to admit, she put a bit too much power into that punch. It's not like she was displeased with it, but still. She shook herself out of her thoughts just in time to duck the second boy's own punch. She loved it when they fought back.

Folding her left arm, she grabbed the boy's collar with her right hand, pulled down while simultaneously swinging her left arm up. Her elbow met his face within seconds and busted his nose open. He fell on his back and held his face as he cried from the hot, searing pain he felt in his face. She just smirked, standing over the boy as she admired her work. She felt someone's arm wrap around her neck and tighten around it, crushing her windpipe.

She choked on her spit as the first boy locked in the headlock. He smirked viciously as the girl's face changed to blue within a moment. She knew she'd pass out soon if she didn't do something now. So, she moved her body a bit to the left and cocked her right elbow forward before swinging back; her target? His crotch.

The force of the blow made the boy's eyes roll to the back of his head as he released her instantly and fell to the floor, his hands automatically going for his family jewels. Every boy in attendance flinched, all knowing too well how badly even a tap felt. And yet, it probably paled in comparison to what that poor boy was feeling now.

"Kushina!" a voice shouted in a scolding tone and the redhead flinched at hearing her name being yelled so harshly. She turned her violet eyes to the chunin heading toward her and the fallen boys. "Not again, Kushina! This is the fourth time this week!" the chunin, a man with shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes told her.

"It's not my fault," she said in defense. "I was eating my lunch like always and these knuckleheads came and made fun of my hair!" she continued and then motion for her fellow classmates. "Everyone here saw that they threw the first punch! Tell them guys!" Kushina saw that everyone suddenly found the ground pretty interesting. She scowled at them but she wasn't surprised. She guessed that they only looked out for their own. Obviously, she wasn't part of that clique.

"She's telling the truth," one voice said, surprising Kushina. She looked around, trying to find her would-be savior. A mop of blond hair stepped out of the crowd of academy students and Kushina sweat dropped. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the help; she had just hoped it would've been somebody more... well, not him.

Still, she couldn't be picky, no matter how flaky he was. "You see!" she bellowed and the chunin stared at the blond boy for a second before shaking his head.

"Regardless, violence is not the answer. You're coming with me to speak to Lord Hokage. Can I have three volunteers to take these three to the nurse's office?" Three kids held their hands up, one of them being the blond. "No, not you, Minato. You're coming with us since you said you witnessed this entire event."

Minato nodded his head, a mildly happy look on his face. Kushina just stared at him oddly. He always seemed to be happy. Not the annoying kind of happy that the other kids genuinely had. It was the sort of happy that seemed forced, in a way. Kushina wasn't sure if the others caught it but she had noticed it since day one.

"What's your deal?" she asked, catching Minato off guard and causing him to lose his smile. He titled his head and stared into her eyes.

"What do you mean?" he asked, genuinely confused. For some reason, Kushina couldn't keep the eye contact and looked away as the chunin instructed the other children to return to their classrooms.

"Every time I see you, you have that stupid smile on your face," as if on cue, he smiled. "Yeah, that one," she said with a slight blush. Then she noticed something; it wasn't the same smile. This one didn't seem forced at all. In fact, she felt like she had just witnessed on of his real smiles. It was kind of nice, actually...

Kushina looked up when a hand placed itself on her shoulder. "Let's get going," the chunin said and Kushina sighed as she followed after him with Minato walking beside her. Every so often, she'd spare a glance to her left and take in his appearance. Besides his sun-kissed blond hair, he had other attributes that really stood out. For example, he was about an inch or so taller than she was. It didn't really make him stand out that much but not many kids their age could say they were taller than she was. He wore a dark blue tracksuit with three yellow stripes on the sleeves, dark blue trousers and dark blue calf-length sandals.

The thing that really attracted Kushina's eyes were his azure orbs. So much emotions were behind his eyes, that it took Kushina's breath away. Even though physically, she felt like she could take him out, she also saw that it wouldn't be an easy fight. She could tell because his eyes showed a determination that she never saw in any of the boys she fought before. Determination, happiness, sadness, grief, patience, and understanding; though there were more, these were the ones that stood out the most.

"You first," Minato said as he held the door for Kushina. She blinked and blushed, embarrassed that she got caught getting lost in his eyes. At the thought of getting lost in his eyes, her blush deepened and she pushed him back as she entered the Hokage Tower. Minato just blinked and watched her walk in. Had he done something wrong? Was it because she noticed him staring into her violet-blue eyes?

**[*.*.*.*]**

Kushina groaned as she waited for class to begin. She'd never admit it aloud but she was actually learning cool things from the academy. Well, whenever she paid attention, anyway. Regardless, she just wished class started already so she didn't have to hear all the chickens squawk to each other about the latest gossip. It's not that she didn't like talking to her friends or anything; she just didn't like to hear girls be so... girly about things. She glared at the nearest group of girls giggling and whispering to each other about stupid things like boys and make-up and other stupid things like that.

_'Geez, it's like they don't know how to talk about anything else,_' she thought to herself when she heard one girl talk about the Hyūga twins. The two were wildly famous with the girls. Mainly because they were calm and passive towards women but also because of their proper mannerisms and looks. Kushina honestly didn't give a flying fart about boys. In her mind, they were meant to keep women entertained and to make them feel smarter; nothing more, nothing less.

Speak of the identical devils, there they were, entering the room. Kushina prepared herself by placing her hands over her ears just as half of the girls in the room squealed in joy.

"Harpies," Kushina grumbled under her breath.

"Don't be such a downer, Kushina-chan," a soft voice said and Kushina couldn't help but smile. She turned to her best friend and stood to hug her. The girl she hugged had long black hair, with her side bangs framing her face. She wore a long dark blue dress of sorts that reached down to her knees with black shorts under them.

"It's been a while since I've seen you, Mikoto-chan," Kushina said with a sigh. Both girls blinked when they suddenly felt foreign arms wrap around the two.

"It's been a long time since I've held you, Miko-chan!" a vein swelled in Kushina's forehead as she released herself from Mikoto and punched Inoichi in the face. Lucky for him, she held back. She didn't want a repeat from yesterday. Inoichi flew across the room and landed on a desk. His eyes rolled around from the hit.

"Troublesome," a boy with black hair said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Tell your good-for-nothing friend to keep his hands off me and Mikoto!" Kushina warned the yawning boy.

"But he's a good-for-nothing; so logically, me telling him what you just said would do good for no one," the boy replied. Kushina's vein grew as she grabbed the black-haired boy by the collar of his shirt.

"It'd do you some good if you did as I told you, Shika," she said loudly and Shikaku just nodded. She let him go and saw him rub the back of his neck as his portly friend arrived to stand beside him with a bag of chips.

"Hiya, Kushina, Mikoto," Mikoto bowed and Kushina waved to him half-heartedly.

"Hey, Chōza," Kushina greeted back. The young boy just waved as he placed more chips in his mouth. Even though he chewed with his mouth closed, Kushina could still hear his munching as if he stood right by her ear and ate with his mouth agape.

"Have you guys heard?" Inoichi said as he pushed himself off the desk and rubbed his cheek with a smile. "Nice punch by the way," he said offhandedly to Kushina. Said girl just smiled sarcastically before changing to a more neutral look.

"What?" Shikaku asked, even though he had a feeling he really didn't want to know or care.

"Someone in our class took the graduating exam yesterday, and passed too," he told them and Kushina scoffed.

"Who cares?" she asked no one in particular, though in some part of her mind, she had a feeling she knew who it was. Her stomach dropped to the floor immediately.

"Who cares? Even the adults are talking about it as if he had been declared Hokage," Inoichi added. This caught most of the attention of everyone in the room.

"What is that blond babbling about?" a girl with red triangular tattoos on each cheek asked in annoyance. Kushina faintly smiled at her; she was the only other girl in her class that wasn't as girly as the other girls. Kushina had a lot of respect for the non-girly girls. She scowled as she laid eyes on Inoichi again.

"He's telling us that one of our classmates graduated yesterday," she retold as she watched Inoichi completely exaggerate the whole thing.

"...they even said he set a new record for all of Konoha," he continued, causing most of the surrounding students to 'ooh' and 'aah'.

"Just tell us who it is!" Kushina shouted, a bit louder than she intended it to be. Everyone was silent as they stared at her, then, they moved their sights to Inoichi who was soaking up the attention, even if it wasn't really about him.

"Good morning, everyone," a voice said by the door. Everyone turned to see Minato standing by the door with a somewhat confused look on his face. The attention of the entire room shifted from him to his forehead. His Konoha forehead protector shined brightly as it refracted the sun's rays coming from the window.

Minato was soon assaulted by his former classmates, barrages of questions from the left, fangirls trying to touch his forehead protector from the right and jealous/happy stares from all the males in the class.

Kushina just glared at him from her seat across the room. Even Tsume and Mikoto went to congratulate the blond.

She didn't find anything special about a ten year old graduating the academy a bit earlier than usual. Hell, she bet even she could take the damn test and pass. The redhead blinked as she stared blankly at the area in front of her. Then, she smirked so widely that it'd make any Cheshire cat worth the name proud and jealous at the same time.

Minato smiled, his teeth showing and his eyes closed as he enjoyed the compliments from his peers. As he opened his eyes, he blinked when he noticed a fallen chair across the room. He faintly heard the sound of a door opening and turned his blue eyes to it just in time to see red hair flying out the threshold, following after the head it was attached to. His eyes lingered on the door for what seemed like an eternity.

"You ok, Minato?" he heard Inoichi ask and he stared at him, then at everyone. They were all looking at him. What happened?

As soon as he saw the knowing look on Mikoto's face, he suddenly felt the frown on his face. Almost immediately, he switched it for a smile and assured his friends that he was all right. Mikoto knew, though, he could see that. She just smiled sadly yet knowingly and shook her head.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Minato panted as he stopped running long enough to catch his breath. He mentally chided himself for letting himself be so weak in the physical department.

The blond righted himself as he looked around. He had been looking for Kushina ever since he heard of what she did. He had no idea what made her try to take the exam so early and knew even less of her results. For all he knew, she might've passed and had no one to celebrate with or maybe she didn't cut it and needed a friend. She didn't have many friends, he noted, and Minato knew he barely qualified as an acquaintance of hers. That's why he had Mikoto help him look for her. Unfortunately, she had something to do so she couldn't look for too long. In the end, Minato had to do it on his own.

Sucking on his teeth, he let his brow furrow as he had no idea where to look next. He had searched all the training grounds – even though academy students weren't allowed there, he had once or twice seen her head that way – and even at the new ramen shop set up not too far from the academy. His 'inside source' had informed him that she absolutely loved ramen.

Minato took some time to calm down; it wouldn't help if he was riled up. So, as he took in a deep breath, he faintly heard grunts coming from the forest nearby. Mentally debating with himself, he decided to check it out. He figured it wouldn't hurt to look.

After running for five minutes, Minato came across Kushina kicking a log that stood up off the ground in a small clearing. She was covered with sweat, dirt, scratches and some blood on her shins and knuckles. Her light green blouse-like shirt and black pants were ragged and torn in some places. Overall, she looked like she had been fighting and training since she left the academy. Two things that immediately caught Minato's attention was the lack of the Konoha forehead protector and the trails of dry tears running down her cheeks.

It didn't sit well with Minato.

Just as he was about to walk up to her, though, he heard her start mumbling. "Stupid Minato," she cried as she struck the log harder than her previous strike. That comment froze him in his place. Why was she calling him stupid? He'd never done anything to her.

"Why'd you have to be so much better than me!" she said, a bit louder than before. "Why'd I have to be weak?"

Minato stayed still as he continued to watch Kushina. He felt bad for her; not only because she didn't pass but also because she had no idea how talented and powerful she was. He only passed because he knew what he was doing. She could become twice the shinobi he ever could be but she didn't want to participate in class most of the time. If she had paid more attention, she probably would've passed too.

Finally, about half an hour later, Kushina tired out and fell to her knees. Minato was amazed by her stamina and determination. It was quite impressive.

"I won't let you surpass me for long," she declared after catching her breath. "I'll catch up to you and when I do, you better be careful, Minato Namikaze!"

For some reason, after watching all of this, what pity Minato felt for her disappeared. He didn't feel like he should pity Kushina; it sort of made him feel bad that he did. Instead, he felt a sort of pride and happiness swell in his chest. She'd eventually be a great shinobi when she grew up. Not because of the arsenal of jutsu she would probably have at her disposal and not because of the amount of missions and fame she would one day acquire. She would be a great shinobi because of her dedication to succeed at everything she does and her will to not give up or stay down for too long.

One day, Minato would see Kushina again. One day, they would be friends.

One day he'd get to know the girl with the beautiful red hair.

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><p><strong>I got a lot to work on, I know... <strong>

**I feel like I should make Minato a bit different... Maybe more indifferent? Like I mentioned before, I don't really have his character down; his and Kushina's...**

**If you think or know how he, she or both should behave, let me know please... I accept all sorts of criticisms [flames will be dealt with accordingly; any criticism that aren't flames are good criticisms... So if I messed up, let me know; I won't get mad just because you disagree or think I'm wrong...]**

**If I nailed them down, then that's good for the story since I have a few things planned that this first chapter already set up...**

**Next chapter, I haven't decided if I want to have a time skip to when Kushina graduates or if I want to show Minato's first meeting with the old perv, first...**

**Either way, please review, or send me a PM if you want to discuss my story or give me some suggestions for it...**

**Next Chapter: The Bird and the Worm *[Results may vary]**

**That's it for this chapter... I used to have a saying I'd always put at the very end of the chapter but I don't think I should do that anymore...**

**I'll come up with a new one but for now, a simple good-bye seems sufficient...**

**See ya...**


	2. The Bird and the Worm

**Well, it's to be expected...**

**I wasn't really expecting a lot of attention for this fic but just a little bit more...**

**Still, thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter.. Even those who read; thank you...**

**Hahaha I feel like I'm starting over; which makes sense since I've been gone for so long...**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's a bit longer than the first...**

**"Being courageous isn't being fearless. Being stupid is being fearless. What it means to be courageous is to stand up against the things you fear because you know you have to."  
>-Me <strong>

**Chapter 2: The Bird and the Worm...**

**I don't own Naruto...**

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><p>Minato could just not lay down long enough to sleep grab hold of him. He was just too jumpy to sit still.<p>

All night, he'd been wondering who his team-mates would be and more importantly, who his Jōnin sensei would be. When he met with the Hokage earlier that day, all he said was that his Jōnin sensei had just recently gotten his rank. While Minato had not met the Jōnin, hearing that he'd just recently gotten promoted did not really sit well with Minato. Sure, he knew the Jōnin had more experience then he did. Still, a fresh Jōnin?

Still, Minato had to have faith in the Hokage's decision. There was a reason the man was the leader of the village, after all.

Minato groaned as he turned and stared at his clock. Four o'clock in the morning. There was still three hours left until he was supposed to get up and get ready. Shaking his head, he decided he might as well get up and get some early conditioning.

***.***

Not many things surprised Minato anymore. In his short ten years alive, he has experienced a lot of things; things no ten year old should have to. However, ever since he met Kushina, she had managed to surprise him at every turn. This moment was no different.

Minato just stared at Kushina as she slept in the middle of the clearing he found her yesterday. She was sprawled out on the ground, her hair all over the place and with her mouth agape as she snored. The blond tried his hardest to keep from laughing even a little. He had no idea how heavy a sleeper she was and he didn't really feel like finding out.

Still, it didn't feel right to just leave her on the floor like that. So, he took off his jacket and shirt; he used the latter as a sort of make-shift pillow and gently raised her head to place the shirt under it. Then, with his jacket, he placed it as softly on her as possible, to make sure she would be safe from the morning air. After finishing, he smiled at her sleeping form.

A flash a light later and Kushina's eyes opened. She blinked and looked around before rubbing her eyes with her fists. When she completely work up, she noticed that she was still in the clearing she found a week ago.

"That's right," she mumbled somewhat coherently, remembering that she had fallen asleep after exhausting herself. "Man, I really went all out that time."

Her eyes looked down at the feel of foreign fabric on her and was surprised to see a familiar looking jacket placed over her torso. It took her a second to figure out whose jacket it was, but when she did, she blushed. She sat and placed her left hand on the ground to hold herself up. Her head turned to look behind her and was surprised to see another piece of clothing belonging to the same person that the jacket belonged to.

"Stupid boy," she mumbled as she stood and grabbed the two offending pieces of clothing. Still, the morning air was still pretty cold and she left her jacket at home. She groaned as she put on Minato's jacket; she was glad no one her age was out and about at this hour. Still, there was one person she prayed had not waken up early like she did every morning. She highly doubted it but hey, a girl could hope, couldn't she?

Minato shook off the cold his body felt as he stretched his legs. The only thing on his torso was his mesh shirt, and that didn't do anything to protect him from the cold. Still, it didn't matter to him; ten minutes into his warm up and his body would heat up as if he had been standing under the sun for the whole day.

Well, his body wasn't going to get stronger on its own.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Kushina knew that one of her many weak points was stealth. Hard as she might, something she did would always reveal her location. This morning was no different as she accidentally let the door slam shut behind her. She winced and counted down from three; when she reached one, the light turned on and she saw her caretaker smiling at her.

Mito Senju. The oldest woman she knew, yet also the kindest. Her once red hair was now a gray-ish white color but still reached down to her ankles. Her wrinkles depicted her age but she still managed to age gracefully, compared to others her age. Her green eyes held so much compassion for such one individual, Kushina herself, that it sort of scared Kushina.

Kushina had seen pictures of when Lady Mito was younger and she was such a vision of beauty. Everyone still reminds her how beautiful she was in her youth and even though other women would be offended, thinking that they also meant that they lost the beauty with age, Mito just bowed as low as she could manage and thanked them for their compliment.

"Kushina Uzumaki," the elderly woman chided softly, causing Kushina to look down in shame.

"I know, I'm late... but technically, I'm also early!" she said in her defense as quickly as she could. The smile on Mito's face widened a bit and she shook her head.

"Always coming up with witty comebacks, I see," Mito observed and Kushina laughed sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head. As if finally noticing something obvious, Mito blinked and let out a small gasp. "And that jacket... I've never bought it for you."

Kushina blushed as she quickly removed the jacket. "It's nothing. Some stupid boy found me asleep in a clearing and placed it over me. I'll give it back whenever I see him. That and then some," Kushina said offhandedly, muttering the last part to herself.

Mito walked over to the love seat in the far corner, close to the open fire in the chimney, and sat down. "Seems like someone has a crush on my little Kushina-chan," Mito said in a singsong tone.

"Lady Mito!" the younger of the two shrieked with a blush. The elder laughed sweetly and Kushina's embarrassment grew. "It's not a crush! He's doing this just to annoy me."

Mito blinked. "What makes you think that, Kushina-chan?"

Kushina crossed her arms over her chest and pouted sadly. "All boys are the same here. He's different, but that doesn't mean he's not the same."

"That didn't make sense,"

"It makes sense to me!" Kushina shouted, letting her anger get the best of her. Her breathing became labored and after taking a few minutes to cool down, she bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

Mito only smiled. "It's quite all right. I understand that you're still having trouble getting used to your new home," the elder said patiently.

"I don't think I'll ever accept Konoha as my home," Kushina said as memories of her home flashed through her mind. "When the stupid fighting is over, I'll go back home with mommy and daddy. It's not that I don't like staying here with you, Lady Mito, but Uzushiogakure is where I belong."

Mito forced the smile to stay on her lips. She hated lying. If she could, she would tell Kushina the real reason why she was sent to Konoha; but she couldn't. At least, not yet.

"You never know Kushina, you might get used to living here one day. In fact, you might find your prince charming here, just like I did," Mito said, winking to Kushina after saying the last part. Kushina blushed as a passing memory of Minato's smile flashed in her mind. She huffed and looked away, trying to subdue the blush.

"Yeah right, no boy here is man enough to be my prince charming. Their all either too cowardly or too flaky," Kushina told Mito confidently. "If I can beat them down easily, then their too girly for me."

Mito had to laugh at that. With that kind of attitude, Mito knew no ordinary boy would win Kushina's heart.

_'It'd take a special kind of boy to win Kushina's heart. It's only a matter of time until he appears; I can feel it,'_ she thought with a special gleam in her eyes.

Kushina yawned loudly and stretched her arms. "Excuse me, Lady Mito. I only got three hours until I gotta go to the academy and I'm still tired," she informed her caretaker and bowed before heading to her room.

"Kushina-chan," Kushina stopped at the sound of her name. "I know what happened today."

Kushina flinched. "I'm sorry," she apologized without turning, so she missed the smile on Mito's lips.

"I know you'll succeed next time," Mito said kindly and confidently. Kushina turned her head to give Mito one last glance. "But don't try to rush it; the time will come when you are ready to graduate."

A wave of happiness and comfort hit Kushina at the thought of having someone believe in her.

"Thanks," she muttered before walking to her room. As soon as she stepped in, she closed the door behind her and sighed.

Her room was simple; one bed, a TV, a closet and a dresser where she kept her personal things. She walked to her dresser and pulled out her blue night gown and changed into it. She dragged her feet to her bed and let her body fall on top of the mattress. She yawned, this time, it was muffled by her pillow. She didn't even feel like moving. Her bed was just so inviting and the softness of the pillow felt like her head was on a cloud. Soon enough, her eyes began to close centimeter by centimeter until it closed shut.

_'Prince Charming? Ha! I don't need one of those pansies. I need a sparring partner; a challenge,'_ Kushina thought before sleep finally took her once more.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Minato struggled to lift his body as he pulled on the branch of a nearby tree. His arms shook as his head slowly began to rise above the branch. When his chin passed it, he let go of his breath and fell to the ground. His body exhausted, he laughed as his body fell limp to the ground. His arms pulsed from the pain and strain they felt.

"I can't believe I did three sets of five," Minato laughed out loud. Sweat covered his body as decided to take a break. Not like he could do much with his arms at the moment, anyway. As he lay flat on his back, his thoughts moved to his team-mates; he wondered how well they'd get along.

He closed his eyes and sighed; he'd hope they'd get to know him before they recognized him. He highly doubted it but it never hurt to have a little hope. He faintly remembered himself falling asleep but he had no idea how long he slept.

"So you're our new team-mate?" Minato opened his eyes and looked up to see a boy and girl, both three years older than him, staring down at him. The girl had dark black hair tied up in a ponytail style. Her skin was pale but her turquoise eyes were sharp and attentive. She wore a blue shirt and shorts with a pale gold strap embroidering the edges of the shoulders and a sort of hardened collar. She kept her Konoha forehead protector on her left arm, just as she kept her kunai pouch tied to her left leg.

The male had short black hair and had a darker skin color than Minato. He wore a black sleeveless kimono-like shirt with matching pants; the edges of his shirt and at the bottom of his pants were a strips of yellow. Minato could see the mesh shirt the male wore but what caught his attention was his eyes. They looked closed but Minato could tell he was looking at him.

From the looks he was getting from them, he could tell that they weren't impressed.

Minato turned and stood, dusty his shorts as he smiled. "My name is Minato," he greeted but saw that their looks hadn't changed.

"Daichi," the male, Daichi said before pointing at the girl. "She's-"

"I can introduce myself," the girl scolded Daichi and he just shrugged. She gave him a dirty look before looking at Minato with a superior look. "My name is Kana."

"Nice to meet the two of you," Minato said with a sincere smile and a bow. He got back up and saw that they changed the look from unimpressed to just odd. What did he do wrong?

"Ah, my students," a voice rang throughout the training ground and all three Genin turned to see a white-haired man walking up to them. He wore a blue shirt with matching pants and shoes. The collar had a strip of a blue-green color running around the edge. The most peculiar feature about the man was the red stripe coming down each cheek from his eyes. Still, Minato's eyes couldn't help but widened.

"And you must be the ten year old who graduated early. Minato Na-"

"Jiraiya of the Sannin!" Minato spoke up before the white-haired man could finish saying his last name. The man blinked before smiling.

"I see my fame proceeds me," Jiraiya gloated as he puffed his chest and held his head up high in pride. Daichi and Kana looked at each other before shrugging their shoulders.

"Anyway, I've worked with your father before-" at the word 'father', Minato flinched.

"Jiraiya-sensei," Kana whined, catching her teacher's attention. "As much as we'd like to hear stories of your past accomplishments, I think we should get started," she suggested and Jiraiya frowned.

"All you kids sure are rude nowadays," he mumbled as he faced his three students. "As of today, Team 8 is born," Jiraiya spoke with a smile before bending forward and changing his smile to a devious smirk. "But not officially."

"What do you mean not officially? We each took a test to become a Genin," Kana snapped, causing Jiraiya to frown.

"You took a test? I'm sorry sweetheart, but your not real Genin until you pass my test," he explained and noticed the confused looks on his students. "I've fought in Second Shinobi World War and I've seen what it takes to cut it in this life. Man, woman, child, Genin, Chūnin or Jōnin. Who or what you are doesn't matter out there, in the real world. No matter how different you are from the next guy, you'll die all the same if you're not prepared."

Jiraiya took a moment to take in his students' reaction. He wasn't surprised to see a little fear spark in their eyes. "So yeah, you took a test and passed from Academy student to Genin. But theory, put into practice, doesn't always come out as plan," Jiraiya spread his arms out and pointed his thumbs at himself. "That's where I come in."

"So what, we're going to have to take another test?" Daichi asked, a bit irritated but not as much as Kana. Minato spared a glance at him but then turned his attention back to Jiraiya.

"More like an evaluation," Jiraiya corrected with a smirk. "If you fail my evaluation, you're going back to the Academy," he almost burst out laughing when he saw the look of shock on each of his students' faces.

"S-So, there's a chance we'll go back to the A-Academy?" Minato stuttered. Jiraiya frowned a bit at his stutter but nodded nonetheless. Minato registered the information before sighing.

"What do we have to do in this evaluation?" Daichi asked warily.

"Fight me," the words echoed in each of the Genins' head as the only sounds in the training ground came from a passing wind.

"We... We don't stand a chance against one of the Sannin," Minato muttered and his team-mates looked at him oddly.

"What are you babbling about? He's just one Jōnin; and a newly promoted one, at that. He's not as great as your making him seem. Besides, I'm stronger than I look," Kana chided but Minato gulped and shook his head.

"You're taking him too lightly," Minato warned her. Daichi grabbed Minato's shoulder and turned him so he'd face him. The older boy then grabbed Minato's shirt with both hands and lifted him off the ground with ease.

"What do you suggest? That we give up and go back to the Academy? Huh? Is that what you're saying?" Daichi growled out and Minato took a second to compose himself. He shook his head and was then dropped to the floor.

"Good, because I'm not going back without a fight."

"Me either," agreed Kana as they faced Jiraiya. Minato just stared at his team-mates' back as Jiraiya laughed.

"Excellent. Let us begin, shall we?" he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Just as the last word slipped from his mouth, Kana and Daichi ran towards Jiraiya in a full sprint.

"No, wait!" Minato shouted but it fell on deaf ears. Daichi was the first to strike with a strong swing of his right fist. Jiraiya lazily moved to the left, making Daichi trip on his feet and fall. Kana came behind Jiraiya and tried to kick the back of his right knee with her left leg. He jumped just before he leg was able to connected and softly pushed her with her foot, giving her more momentum than she could handle. She rolled to keep her face from slamming into the ground.

Jiraiya's eyes immediately went to Minato who remained on the ground a few meters away. He shook his head in disappointment before preparing himself for Daichi who composed himself and ran straight for Jiraiya.

While Jiraiya kept Daichi and Kana at bay, Minato just stared at them, the way they interacted and everything.

"We're not even going to lay a scratch on him," Minato whispered to himself as he felt the will to fight leave him. He was still a bit star-struck that his Jōnin sensei was one of the Sannin, but he just felt so small in the presence of him that it was easily overshadowed. With just a flick of his wrist, the man could send a kunai straight through Minato's chest, if he wished.

_'There's no point,'_ Minato thought as he slowly stood and backed up. _'We're going to end up back at the Academy,'_ without knowing, he stepped on a twig and the sound of it snapping hit Minato's ears. Suddenly, he remembered Kushina kicking the log yesterday. He remembered hearing the log crack under her kicks and splinter off. Her words rang in his head and he felt the pride and happiness that filled his chest.

His knuckles tightened until they were as white as snow.

Daichi groaned as Jiraiya tripped him, making him crash into the ground.

"Come on guys! I haven't even used my hands yet," Jiraiya taunted. He faintly saw something rolling in his direction before exploding and covering him with smoke. He coughed and covered his face. He looked around, not wanting to get ambushed. He saw a shadow zip by him but did nothing more. When the smoke receded within a few seconds, everyone was gone; even Minato.

Jiraiya blinked and his eyes scanned the area. "What just... happened?"

Daichi and Kana panted as Minato hid behind a tree and kept tabs on Jiraiya. He had managed to lead his team-mates to the side where they'd be covered by trees and bushes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kana asked as she caught her breath. Minato didn't answer as he continued to watch his sensei. Jiraiya unfolded his arms and began to walk around, his eyes on everything that moved or made a sound.

"Shh," Minato hushed before ducking and motioning his comrades to do the same. They looked at each other before following his lead. A second later, Jiraiya walked by, vaguely looking in their direction before his sights turned to the other side of the training grounds. Minato crawled to the edge of the nearest bush and saw Jiraiya with his back to him.

Minato turned to his azure eyes to Daichi and Kana.

"We don't stand a chance against someone of Jiraiya-sensei's caliber. Together or individually," Minato stated and Kana rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"You keep saying that. Seriously, do you want us to quit?" Minato shook his head.

"No, I'm simply stating a fact."

"So what should we do? Nothing me or Kana did worked; with you, we might make him use his hands; MAYBE!" Daichi said.

"I got a plan; after seeing the way Jiraiya-sensei moves, I think can read his movements," Minato told them. Kana laughed but Daichi just stared at him, studying him.

"What a laugh, right Da-"

"Are you serious?" Daichi asked, interrupting Kana who thought he was crazy for asking.

"I can't be certain. I haven't seen him take you two seriously but his body language is easy enough for me to read," he informed him and Daichi nodded.

"I can't believe you're taking him seriously!"

Daichi glared at her. "Do you want to go back to the Academy?" Kana stared him, a pensive expression donning her face.

"...no..."

"I suggest we move now; Jiraiya-sensei doesn't specialize in tracking but someone of his level should have no problem locating the three of us if he really wanted to," Daichi nodded and followed after Minato as he silently moved. Kana stared at the two males of her team. She shook her head; she had no choice so why fight?

**[*.*.*.*]**

Kushina was bored. Their sensei was talking about boring stuff like the First Shinobi World War and its impact on the five Shinobi Nations. She had no idea how a bunch of stupid men fighting could lead her to be a better shinobi. Even less, how a chakra beast could affect her life in the least.

"Pssh," Kushina looked to the right where she heard the noise come from and saw Inoichi smiling at her. She groaned.

"What do you want, blondie?" she asked harshly but the blond's smiling never faltered.

"Thinking about me?" he asked and Kushina's left eyebrow rose.

"Why would I? Even if I was strapped to a table with my eyes taped open and there was a poster of you taped to the ceiling AND your voice was recorded to say 'Hey, it me, Inoichi. You remember me? Think about me' over and over again until my ears bled, you'd still be the last thing on my mind," Kushina ranted in a hushed but harsh tone. Inoichi's smile was wiped clean off and his expression was replaced with a deadpanned look.

"A simple 'no' would've been sufficient and less hurtful."

"I'm glad you got my point," Kushina said with a smile.

"So what are you thinking about? How much you miss your boyfriend?" he asked, his smile back on his lips. Kushina blinked.

"Who?" Kushina asked, genuinely confused.

"Minato,"

"Ha!" she bellowed, only to stop herself before she could let another one out. The Chūnin instructor gave her a warning glance before continuing the lesson. "Don't make me laugh," she whispered.

"Don't try to deny it! I've seen you staring at him for no reason," Inoichi said and Kushina's face got red. Not from blushing, but from anger.

"Come here Inoichi," Kushina said a little too sweetly as she stood and cracked her knuckles. Inoichi paled and stood as well. He began to back up.

"Sit down, you two!" the instructor shouted but the two seemed to be in their own little world.

"Stay away, Kushina!" Inoichi yelled as he bolted for the door. Kushina was right on his tail, even as he burst into the halls and straight for the exit.

"Troublesome," Shikaku mumbled as he woke up from his nap.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Jiraiya sighed as he patiently waited for his students to come to him. He could find the brats if he really wanted to. In fact, he knew exactly where they were hiding; he'd pass it about five minutes ago. He just wanted to see if they finally decided to work together or if it was just a coincidence that they all his together. He kind of wished he'd end the evaluation then and there.

Still, it'd take less than a minute to find their new spot and just end the evaluation. But no, he decided to give them a shot and another ten minutes.

Though, time was almost up.

"I tried... I honestly tried to give them a shot but looks like they didn't really want to be ninjas," Jiraiya said to himself as he began to sense for his students. He closed his eyes and tried to sense for their chakra. His brow furrowed; either they could suppress their chakra really well, or they were out of his range. He sighed, knowing that he had to go search for them and put effort into it.

His eyes popped open when he felt a moderate sized chakra signature head towards his area. It was incredible how fast it was going. He prepared himself as he felt the chakra signature come close to the clearing's edge.

_'I wonder who it is; Kana or Daichi?' _he thought as he prepared himself for either. He was surprised to see that it was Minato.

The blond slid to a stop and blinked when he saw Jiraiya staring at him with disbelief.

"That was... you?" Jiraiya mumbled and Minato took in a deep breath.

_'I hope he can forgive me afterward...'_ Minato thought as he stuck his tongue out and pulled his bottom eyelid down.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Jiraiya barked in outrage. Minato jumped at the volume and decided that it'd be a good idea to run. He turned and ran, making short work of the clearing and disappeared into the forest. A vein swelled in Jiraiya's forehead as he ran after the blond.

Minato ran as fast and as far from Jiraiya as he could. Finally, after about five minutes of straight running, he stopped by a random tree to catch his breath.

"I think I lost him," Minato said with a pant.

"Not even close," Minato's eye sprang open as he looked up to see a smiling Jiraiya standing upside-down on a tree branch. Minato's eyes focused on Jiraiya's feet; his brain taking in everything. "Boo,"

Minato disappeared in a flash as he dashed away from Jiraiya. Once again, his speed impressed Jiraiya.

"That boy's a natural runner," Jiraiya commented as he went after the blond. Even though the boy had speed, Jiraiya noted that he was pretty sloppy with his movements. Minato's brain couldn't keep up with the speed his body was going and would occasionally slip and almost fall. The boy had potential, Jiraiya could see that; he just needed the right sensei to help him reach his potential.

Suddenly, Minato disappeared and Jiraiya stopped in his tracks. _'Where'd he go?'_ he thought as he couldn't see him anywhere.

"Fast kid," Jiraiya mumbled.

"Thanks," Jiraiya looked up and was surprised to see Minato upside-down just like he was just a few minutes ago.

_'He knows how to do that?'_ Jiraiya thought, his thoughts showing on his face.

"Surprised? Me too," the blond said before throwing kunai at the white-haired man.

Jiraiya reacted quickly as he jumped to the side. However, ninja wire was waiting to trip him. He hit the ground hard but he was still conscious. Before he could move, Kana and Daichi appeared and quickly tied his wrists and ankles with rope. They stood and admired their work as Minato stood in between them, a wary look adorned on his face.

"I can't believe that actually worked," Kana laughed as Daichi's eyes moved to Minato.

"I can't believe you stood upside-down a tree branch without glue or something," Daichi commented and Minato smiled a bit.

"Yeah, how'd you do that, brat?" Jiraiya asked from his place.

"I've seen a shinobi do it once before and I was able to somewhat understand how he did it but it wasn't until I saw you do it that it made complete sense to me, Jiraiya-sensei," the blond answered a bit shyly.

"Nice job, brat," Jiraiya complimented and Minato bowed and muttered a 'thanks'.

"Well, looks like we pass the evaluation, huh Jiraiya-sensei?" Kana asked haughtily. Jiraiya smirked but for some reason, it didn't sit well with Minato.

"Not really," he said and Minato saw Jiraiya's muscles tense. "I'm kinda a sore loser."

"Get back!" Minato said while jumping back. Daichi was a second quicker than Kana but it was too late for both of them as Jiraiya jumped up and broke through his bonds. He took a long leap and with speeds they couldn't track, managed to get behind them. He flashed through hand signs before grabbing onto their shoulders.

"**Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!**" he bellowed as they landed. He pushed down and burrowed the two up to their necks into the ground.

"Crap!" Kana shouted in rage as she and Daichi struggled to get free.

"It's pointless to struggle; you're not getting out of that unless I want you to," Jiraiya said and turned to Minato. He was surprised to see the blond studying his fallen comrades.

"I see," Minato muttered to himself as his eyes focused on the ground around Daichi and Kana and then at Jiraiya's hands.

"Are you... What the hell are you doing?" Jiraiya asked, baffled by the oddity that was Minato.

"Hm? Oh, I'm just analyzing what just happened," Minato answered as he gave the ground around his team-mates one last glance. He looked at Jiraiya. "Can you teach me this?"

Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched. "Uh... maybe later?" the Sannin answered somewhat confused. Minato nodded and folded his arms across his chest. Jiraiya just stared at him.

"What?"

"Why are you just standing there?" Jiraiya asked and then waved his hands. "I'm free now! Why aren't you running in terror?"

Minato blinked. "I gave up."

"Wait, WHAT?" his team-mates and sensei barked in disbelief.

"I give up. My two team-mates have been incapacitated, I can't free them from their prison without leaving myself open to an attack and I don't stand a chance against you, Jiraiya-sensei. The best course of action for me would be to retreat and call for reinforcement; however, since this is just an evaluation, I can't really do that. So, I give up," he explained and Jiraiya took a second to just blankly stare at the boy. He managed to compose himself and coughed into his fist.

"Right, well... good deduction," he said before staring at his charges. "Good work, my minions. You all did pretty well. But!" He added quickly, stopping them short from cheering. "I'll give you your results tomorrow. Same time, same place. See ya!"

"Jiraiya-sensei!" the three Genins shouted but he left before he heard them. The three sighed and bowed their heads.

"I'll be back with a shovel," Minato said with a smile before running off. The two buried up to their neck just blinked at his speed.

"You think he's coming back?" Daichi asked and Kana scoffed.

"He better."

**[*.*.*.*]**

Minato hung upside-down from a tree branch as he stared at the setting sun. Dirt and sweat clung to his clothes and hair from digging out his team-mates earlier. He had spent some time with them and they weren't as bad off as they were when they first met. Still, Minato could tell they were still a hesitant to work with him. Was it because he was two years younger than them?

Whatever the reason, Minato hoped they would get over it soon. It wouldn't do to have this kind of problem when they were out of the village doing a mission.

Suddenly, something hit the back of his head and simultaneously wrapped around his head, covering his sight. His focused was disturbed and his chakra fluctuated, making his feet lose its grip on the branch and making him head for the ground.

He wasn't that his off the ground but when he hit the ground, his was knocked out.

"Take your jacket back!" Kushina yelled and waited for him to say something back. After a couple minutes of no response – physical or verbal – Kushina blinked. "You ok?"

She walked up to Minato and removed his jacket from his head. His eyes were closed and his head tolled from side to side from having his jacket removed. Kushina just stared at him before slamming her palm into her forehead.

"I killed him!" she cried out before placing both hands over her mouth. She looked around; there were no witnesses. She grabbed Minato and tried to place him over her shoulder but he was too heavy.

_'For someone who's flaky and girly, he's pretty heavy,'_ she thought as she decided to drag him. There were only two people who she could tell what happened and trust them not to run to the Hokage or the police. Luckily, they were both at her house.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, so, what do you think?<strong>

**Should I have Jiraiya fail them or pass them? Let me know what you think. Team 8's Fate is in your fingertips and keyboard...**

**Anyway, I had fun writing this chapter... Well, more or less...**

**I think that maybe, I should tone down Kushina's mean side... Sure, she beat the crap out of everyone who made fun of her and was a hothead but that doesn't mean she isn't nice... right?**

**Whatever...**

**Well, have a good day/night, I'll be back eventually to update this...**

**See ya!**


	3. Old and New Wounds

**Sup all?**

**Just dropping another chapter for this story...**

**Hope it entertains you all, since that's what it was made for...**

**Knock yourselves out...**

**_"It's a very difficult thing losing a parent, but I think there's an added complication for me, because he was so well-loved and he had this very open charm that made people feel they had a personal relationship with him."  
><em>-Kate Beckinsale**

**Chapter 3: Old and New Wounds...**

**I don't own anything!**

* * *

><p>When she was first asked to go to Kushina's house, Mikoto had no idea what to expect. She kept her mind open, knowing that any expectation she set for her good friend would be blown away. So, she instead just thought of what the girl might want to do. Mikoto really liked Kushina, she hoped that Kushina saw her as a close friend as Mikoto saw her. Being from the Uchiha clan, not many people got close to her for fear of her clan. If they did want to get close, it wasn't to get close to her, but just the clan.<p>

But not Kushina; the redhead just took to her and didn't care of her namesake. She just enjoyed the company of Mikoto, not Mikoto UCHIHA.

She smiled when she saw the gray house that Kushina described to her. It was a relatively big house; two floors and most likely enough rooms to fit a family of six. It was a pleasant shade of peach with the window sills painted black. Mikoto walked up to the big black door and before she could knock, she heard an odd sound.

"Psst!" Mikoto blinked and looked around. There it was again. "Mikoto!" This time, Mikoto heard it coming from the bushes across the street. She saw Kushina looking around nervously and then back at her. She waved her hands, motioning her to head over to her. Mikoto scanned the area, looking for anything suspicious that could be making Kushina act this way. She didn't see anything but the Uchiha kept her guard up, especially when she neared the Uzumaki.

"What's wrong, Kushina-chan?" Mikoto asked in concern. Kushina gave her environment one last look before she grabbed Mikoto by her collar and pulled her into the bushes. In the same second, Kushina had her hands over Mikoto's eyes and mouth.

"Don't scream," Kushina whispered and Mikoto sweat-dropped.

"Mah voud da?" the redhead looked at her friend oddly.

"What?" Mikoto removed Kushina's hand off her mouth.

"I asked 'why would I?' And why did you have to cover my eyes too?" she asked.

"...good point..." Kushina said after a moment of hesitation. "And I'm covering them because... well, have you ever seen a dead body before?"

"Oh good grief, I heard about your little event with Inoichi. Did you finally catch him?" Mikoto asked exasperatedly. Kushina laughed sheepishly.

"You heard?" then, the Uzumaki shook her head. "Anyway, it's not him."

"Then who?"

"Well, have you seen a dead body before or what?"

"No!"

"..."

"..."

"Do you... want to?" Kushina asked hesitantly and Mikoto stayed quiet. After two straight minutes of no response, Kushina sighed. "Well?"

"I don't want to have to lie to the Hokage, or, more importantly, my own family, when they come asking me if I know anything about a dead body lying around."

"Shut up and look," Kushina said as she removed her hand from Mikoto's eyes. It took a while for her vision to clear but when it did, Mikoto was shocked to see Minato lying face down on the ground.

"No way..." Mikoto mumbled and Kushina nodded with her head down. Mikoto shifted so she can look at Kushina. "Why... would you do... this?"

"I didn't mean to kill him! I just threw his stupid jacket at him while he was upside-down and then he fell, SPLAT!" Kushina mimicked him hit the ground with her hands as she said the last part. "And then he died!"

"What were you doing with his jacket?" Mikoto asked and Kushina blushed.

"How 'bout we deal with the dead blond first," Kushina mumbled and Mikoto nodded.

"How do you know he's dead?"

"Do you see him moving? He's as dead as dead gets."

"That doesn't mean he's dead."

"Oh, so you learn all about first aid and now you know when a person is dead or not? You really got arrogant since that first aid class," Kushina said harshly before folding her arms over her torso and turning her back to Mikoto. Mikoto just stared at her, deadpanned.

"...we took that class last week... together!" Mikoto reminded her and Kushina stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"Don't remind me; that classroom was the worst room to take a nap in. Geez, it's like the teacher kept it cold just to mess with us. And she was faaaat!" Kushina said.

"She kept it cold so no one would fall asleep. And she was pregnant!"

Kushina brought her hand up in front of her. "Ah! Don't bore me with her life story!" Mikoto sighed in frustration. She loved Kushina; she was the closest friend she had. But Mikoto felt bad for the boy who would try to date Kushina in the future. Kami help the poor fool.

"So, is this why you invited me over to your house? So I would be an accessory to your crime?" Mikoto asked and Kushina faced her friend and blinked.

"You would do that... for me?" Kushina asked with a smile and mock-tears in her eyes. That earned a bop to her head. "Ow! I'm just playing!"

"So?" Mikoto inquired and Kushina rubbed the top of her friend while she gave her friend a soft glare.

"I asked you over so we could hang out. But, then this," Kushina pointed to Minato, "happened. For right now, I need your help carrying him to my house. I could do it but with your help, we can get him in faster, so there's less chance of us getting caught."

Mikoto stared at her friend before sighing. She didn't mean to set an expectation for her friend; she had subconsciously done it. Right now, that expectation had blown up like a burning train jumping off its tracks, running off a hundred foot cliff and hitting the ground.

Kushina grabbed on to Minato's hands while Mikoto grabbed his legs by his ankles. It didn't take long for the two to lift the unmoving blond and rush him to Kushina's house.

"Crap!" Kushina muttered as she dropped everything in her hands and reached into her pocket for her keys. Mikoto just stared with wide eyes as she saw a bumping forming on the top of his head.

"Kushina!"

"Do you wanna get caught with a dead body? No? Then shut up and let me look for my keys!" Kushina said irritated. She smiled when she found her keys, took them out, unlocked her door, stepped in and then slammed it shut. Mikoto sweat-dropped, especially when she heard the door's lock engage.

"Can you let me in too?"

"Oh... right," the door swung open after being unlocked and Kushina dragged Mikoto. She then proceeded to close the door and lock it again. Kushina let out a sigh of relief as she laid back against the door and slid down to the floor. "That was a close one," she uttered.

"Kushina?"

"Hm?"

"Can you tell me again why we had to rush into your house?"

Kushina groaned as she faced her friend with an annoyed look. "Mikoto, this is not time to not remember things. We had to get in here to hid the body and fast! You and me carried it all the way over to my house and now we got to decide where to hide it." Kushina said. "Let's recap; where's the body?" Mikoto blinked and gave her an exasperated look. Kushina just looked around, oblivious of her look.

"Whoa, you hid the body fast!" Kushina gushed with a wide smile.

"Uh, no! The body is still outside!" Mikoto shouted and Kushina blinked before letting out a bellow of fear and panic. She disengaged the locks and swung the door open. She was surprised to see a few people accumulating outside her home, looking at the unconscious blond and murmuring to themselves. None were younger than thirty years of age and while an audience less than one would've been preferable, Kushina was at least thankful that it wasn't anyone she knew. She laughed sheepishly as she slowly dragged the blond into her home. She guessed that if she made any fast movements, she'd scare the audience into action.

"He's fine, folks! Just overdid it in the training department. He'll be hunky-dory tomorrow. Bye now!" she said after getting the corpse beyond the threshold. She slammed the door shut and sighed. She saw Mikoto looking at her and gave her a sly grin. "Smooth, huh?"

"As smooth as your hair," Mikoto deadpanned before walking over to the couch in the center of the living room. She sat in the center of the couch and waited patiently. Kushina smiled, before blinking and running her fingers through her red locks. Her fingers couldn't move freely as the tangled hair entrapped them in place. Kushina frowned, trying to free her fingers but her hair was adamant to keep them where they were. It took some effort but Kushina finally freed her digits. She growled and glared at Mikoto as she moved to sit beside her while dragging Minato along with her.

"Ha ha, very funny. Can we get serious now?" she said as she tossed Minato onto the couch. He bounced a bit on his seat before leaning sideways, onto Mikoto. The female Uchiha blushed as his head rolled to the side and rest on her left shoulder.

"Pervert!" Kushina growled as she bopped Minato on the head. Mikoto gasped and watched Minato's body fall forward and to the ground with a blunt thud. Mikoto looked up at Kushina.

"He might be dead but that doesn't mean you should just hit him like that!" Mikoto chided and Kushina waved it off. She jumped into the spot Minato fell off from and gained a pensive look.

"So, I say we bury it somewhere in the forest. Somewhere where people rarely go or better yet, somewhere no one ever goes," Kushina suggested, staring off into space.

"The Nara's have a whole forest to themselves; it's mainly used as their deers' habitat so no one ever really goes there," Mikoto added and Kushina turned to her with a smile.

"That's brilliant! What would I do without you!" she said as she hugged her closest friend. Mikoto hugged her back.

"Try to find some way to explain a dead body lying outside your house," Mikoto mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing," Kushina stared at Mikoto oddly before shrugging and grabbing Minato by the back of his collar. Before she or Mikoto could do anything else, the sound of a turning knob filled the quiet house. Kushina's head smartly turned to the hallway leading to Lady Mito's and her room. She turned to look at Mikoto with a panicked expression that basically screamed _help me!_.

"The closet!" she said in a hushed tone and with Kushina's help, dragged Minato over to the closet near the front door. They quickly proceeded to place the poor blond into the closet and close it.

"What are you doing, Kushina-chan?" The two girls jumped at the question and turned to see Mito standing to the right of them. She looked genuinely curious and had the same sweet smile on her lips. "And who's your friend?"

"What friend? There's no one here but me," Kushina said and Mikoto turned her head, looking at Kushina incredulously.

"I'm standing right here!" Mikoto said but got a hand slammed onto her mouth.

"Sh! She can't see anything! She's getting old! She can barely hear or see me!" she told her.

"That's not true," Mito said with a sweatdrop and a frown. "Apologize right this instant, Kushina-chan."

"I'm sorry, Lady Mito. I didn't mean it. I just said it out of panic," Kushina apologized, looking like a scolded puppy as she explained herself. Mito's smile returned and she walked up to Kushina to hug and ruffle her hair. Kushina kind of felt that Mito's hand was on her hand for a while longer than it should have but then she realized that she also got her hand stuck in the infamous red trap that was her hair.

"Maybe you should start brushing your hair more," Mito said with a crooked smile. Kushina stared at her with half-lidded eyes and a scowl and sighed.

"Yeah, I think so, too."

"You must be Mikoto Uchiha," Mito said and Mikoto nodded enthusiastically and bowed lowly.

"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Mito. It also gives me great pleasure to know that someone of your stature knows who I am," Mikoto gushed and Mito giggled.

"You are a very special young lady, Mikoto," Mito said, making Mikoto's smile widen. Mito glanced at Kushina and then back at Mikoto. "So, what are you two young ladies doing?" The smile on Kushina and Mikoto's face turned sheepish and they racked their brains on what excuse to give her. Kushina didn't like lying to Mito. She was one of the few closest people in her life and she just felt so bad for lying to someone who was only trying to help her live as normally as she possibly could, considering her circumstances.

"We were just playing hide-and-seek," Mikoto said and Kushina nodded emphatically. Mito just kept the same smile on her lips, her eyes closed, seemingly convinced, but for some reason, Kushina felt like she was currently reading her mind to find out what they were really doing.

"I see. So who's seeking?" she asked.

"She is," both girls said as they pointed to the other. They blinked and stared at each other with wide eyes before shifting their gaze to Mito again. "I am!"

"I see," Mito mused with a devious smile and Kushina gulped; they were caught!

"Every girl for herself!" Kushina shouted as she headed for the nearest exit. Mikoto took a second before realizing what she said and ran after her. The two heard the lock's gear turn and successfully seal off their escape. They faced Mito who had her left hand up in a one handed hand sign. Kushina just stared wide eyed at her caretaker before turning to her friend. Mikoto was glaring at her; clearly, that last statement didn't sit well with the Uchiha.

"The whole 'every girl for herself' thing; you know I was just joking right?" Kushina said with a shameful smile and her right hand behind her head. Mikoto stared at her passively before walking over to the closet door and opening it. Mito was surprised to see a blond boy fall face-first to the ground. The impact made Mito flinch and then she lookd at both of the girls.

"Before you say anything, Lady Mito, I'd like to inform you that I had nothing to do with this."

"Traitor!" Kushina hissed as she glared at Mikoto.

"Now what is this all about Kushina?" Mito asked and Kushina slumped her body forward and let out a long sigh.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Minato wasn't sure of a lot of things. He wasn't sure what exactly happened before everything turned black, he wasn't sure where he was at this moment, he wasn't sure why this was happening and he definitely wasn't sure why his head was hurting so much!

Still, as soon as he felt himself start to wake up, he let out a low and weak groan. It surprised him how much that one groan made the throbbing pain in his head increase. His right hand shot up to his head, to try to soothe the searing pain, only for his fingers to touch the soft and moist feel of a cloth on his forehead. He slowly opened his eyes, wary of the strong light of the sun stinging his still adapting cerulean eyes. The light felt they were little tiny needles poking at his eyes and his brain as he forced his eyes to adapt.

Though the room was fuzzy, Minato could faintly make out a wooden coffee table that had fancy and detailed carvings of leaves and vines crawling up its legs. Across from the table was a wooden cabinet that held what looked like picture frames. To the right of that was a small wooden dresser that was holding an old but still functional T.V. To the left was a hallway, where Minato assumed lead to the bedrooms and bathroom. So aside that, the only other distinguishable characteristics about the room was the clean white walls and the distinct smell of various spices and vegetables. The whole room was just an olfactory delight; it'd been quite some time since he last woke up to the smell of food being cooked.

Minato wanted to sit up and visually explore the new environment he was placed in, to find his host and ask questions. Unfortunately, his body had decided to do none of those things and stay on the comfortable couch.

_'Mind over matter,'_ he told himself as his tired body struggled to sit up. He successfully managed to sit up but he still had trouble remaining up. He let the cloth fall from his forehead to his lap but he didn't really care; it wasn't as if it really mattered where it was at the moment. The world got less fuzzy but now his world refused to stop spinning. If it wasn't one thing, it was another.

He repeated the chant as he forced his vision clear and still. That took some time, the vertigo almost too strong for him to control, but he managed to do the seemingly impossible. He placed his balled up hands over his eyes and started to rub them. When he opened them again, he vaguely saw something red moving towards him from the hallway. He slowly turned his head and saw the red object heading his way was actually Kushina.

Kushina was surprised to see Minato awake, much less sitting up right. After explaining to Mito what happened, Mito proceeded to examine the poor unconscious and abused blond. When the elder of the three told them he was not, in fact, dead, Kushina let out a care-free laugh and proclaimed that she wouldn't have to live the life of a missing-nin for accidental murder.

After properly scolding the redhead, Mito sent the two on errands, such as, but not limited to; grabbing a bucket of warm water, a cloth and cutting some vegetables. Mikoto was currently in the kitchen with Mito, helping to prepare the meal the four would eat. Kushina was stuck as his caretaker for putting the blond in the situation in the first place.

"I'm so glad you're awake," Kushina said as she placed the tray holding a newer, warmer and wetter cloth. Minato blinked his eyes a few times before rubbing his eyes, then cleaning his ears with his pinkies. Did he just hear her correctly?

She gave him a grin as she threw him the wet, squishy and hot cloth. "I was really getting tired of taking care of you."

He caught it and stared at it. He knew it was too good to be true.

"You can take it from here, ne?" she asked with that same grin on her lips. Minato looked down at the cloth and then up at Kushina, opening his mouth to speak but never got the chance to even sound out the first word.

"He shall do no such thing," Minato turned his head to where the voice came from and was surprised to see Mito staring at Kushina, her old hands drying themselves off with a cloth that looked similar to the one in Minato's hands. "He might be awake, but he's in no state to take care of himself. A state, I remind you young lady, he wouldn't be in if you hadn't been rude to the young man," Mito chided and Kushina scowled at her words.

"But Lady Mito!" she whined.

"That is enough, Kushina-chan," the elder responded and Kushina said nothing more, instead deciding to protest silently with a pout. Mito changed her sights to the blond boy, who was too shocked to even mutter a coherent word. "Hello there, Minato," Mito greeted and Minato shook off his shock and bowed, slowly though since he didn't really want to get a close up of the floor.

"It's an honor to be in the presence of a woman of your caliber, Lady Mito. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance," Minato gushed and Mito laughed. Though she knew she was easily recognizable to the general public, she was still pleasantly surprised that children from two generations down were able to recognize her as soon as they took one look at her. "Though, if I may ask, how is it you know my name?"

"You have his blond hair," was her reply and Minato's smile faltered for less than a second. He had hoped against hope that there was another reason for her to recognize him but it didn't seem to be that way. Still, to have the wife of the First Hokage know his name sparked a sort of joy in his heart. The First Hokage was his hero; a really merit to every Konoha shinobi in the Land of Fire. His bravery, his strength and his heart were just few of the characteristics that made the man so powerful and influential. And he had heard stories of his spouse as well. All good things, like that she was a gentle and kind-hearted woman with a smile that could even make a Hyūga crack a smile.

"So I've been told," Minato muttered to himself.

"He was a real hero, that one. I'm sure you're quite proud to have had him as a father," Mito added and Minato blushed and mumbled a _thank you_. His cerulean eyes told a different story from the one his smile was telling. Kushina caught it but feared to speak, lest she deal with another of Mito's scoldings. The elder one never once touched one hair on Kushina's head with mal-intent. Still, her tongue lashings could be brutal if the old Uzumaki was motivated to take it that far. Even detention was preferable to five minutes with an angry or annoyed Mito.

"I cannot even begin to describe the... joy and pride I feel in my heart whenever anyone mentions him and his final act of heroism," he had managed to fight down the lump forming in his throat but he had to pause, to compose himself properly. He saw Mito just nod as she silently hum to herself. He also saw Kushina in his peripheral vision giving him an odd look but he chose to ignore her for the time being. He really didn't want to agitate her and get her into any more trouble than she seemed to already be in.

"I would think so," Mito stated as she turned her gaze to Kushina. "Please make sure he's comfortable and let him get some rest; the poor boy must be tired," Kushina nodded obediently and Minato shook his head.

"It's quite all right, really-"

"You cannot lie to me," Mito said with a knowing smile. "I can see it in your eyes. Please, make yourself comfortable, get some rest while dinner is prepared. I promise we'll wake you when it is done. Now please, lie down," Mito said and Minato sputtered a few sounds that may have been mistaken for grunts and coughs before he sighed and nodded. He weakly tossed his legs onto the couch and slowly lowered his upper body until it reached the soft comfort of the couch's cushion. As soon as his head touched the silky pillow supporting his weary head, sleep was already singing her siren songs into the boy's ears. He knew he'd return to his land of dreams soon but vaguely heard Mito conversing with Kushina.

"Hey," he heard Kushina whisper to him and he lolled his head to the side to stare at her fuzzy form. "I'm only doing this because... Mito... If I had my way... feet underground by now, dattebane..." he somewhat heard her say. After that, he could still hear her voice but the song of sleep was much louder and pretty much turned Kushina's words to gibberish. His fatigue was really taking its toll on him as he tried to stay awake long enough until Kushina left. It was the longest minute of Minato's young life so far.

She surprised him awake when she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and stared directly into his eyes. "So, if you need anything, you just let me know," she said and he nodded slowly. She released him and stood. She began to walk towards the kitchen when she stopped and turned to him. "Oh, and try not to need me."

With that, the redhead disappeared into the kitchen and Minato's eyes rolled to the back of his head as sleep finally took him.

**[*.*.*.*]**

"_Father, don't go," a small child pleaded, causing his father to pause in the front door's threshold. His long, shaggy hair covered most of his face and what wasn't covered by his hair was hidden within the shadows made from a light outside._

"_I'm sorry son," his low, husky voice echoed as the boy started to cry. He couldn't see his father's blue eyes but he could feel them on him. His young body shivered from the cold air coming from the dark winter's night. The streetlamps outside did little to help the young one see much but he could still see his father's form, his posture; tense, nervous, doubtful. _

"_I need you father. You can't leave me here all by myself," the boy cried; his voice was raw and desperate, causing pain to strike the father's heart. Still, steeling his nerves, he turned his body and gave his son a half-hearted smile. _

"_You have to be strong, son. For both me and your mother," he told his son. The boy just shook his head._

"_If you walk out of here, I'll... I'll..." the father waited patiently for his son to finish his sentence. The young one just shook from all the emotions he felt leaking from his heart; fear, sadness, sorrow and oddly enough, hatred._

"_I'll never forgive you!" the boy finished and his father let out a silent gasp. The boy scrunched his eyelids closed, forcing them shut to keep his tears from falling. He hated feeling this weak. He was a young boy and he knew his limitations but ever since his mother died, everything began to change, even when he tried to prevent them. His father changed from a valiant and courageous shinobi to a heartbroken and sad man with an alcoholic problem. _

_The boy heard heavy footsteps heading towards him and he felt the walls he set up in his heart crumble as he hugged his father's legs and sobbed, his pleads for him to stay muffled by his father's pants. A heavy hand was placed on the very top of the boys head and ruffled his unruly locks. Then the father moved to hug his son as he continued to run his giant, callous fingers through his son's hair._

"_There, there, my son," the father said, his own voice rough and dry. "I pray you'll never have to go through the heartache I'm feeling right now. But try to understand, there are things you just can't walk away from; not if you want to live with yourself afterward," he informed him as his hug on his son tightened. He took in everything; the feel of hi skin, of his body against his, his scent, his muffled cries and sniffling, everything. "I'm proud to have fathered such a good son for as long as I have."_

_And with a heavy heart, the father gently pushed his son at arm's length, gave him a sad smile before turning to head for the door. The tears the boy tried to hold were now flowing freely down his reddened cheeks. The only sound heard throughout the house was the soft whistling of the wind and the sniffling of a young lad as he silently cried in the dark. _

_He watched his hero, his role model walk out of the door without even giving him one last glance._

"_I HATE YOU!" the boy yelled at the top of his lungs. It was the only thing he could think of to say to keep his father from leaving him forever. He wouldn't leave with unresolved issues... would he? _

_The father only paused for a second. He proceeded to muttered his last words; words that would forever haunt the young boy's dreams._

"_Good-bye son. I love you."_

_And with that, the door to the house began to close at a painfully slow rate. The young boy watched with puffy eyes as his father's form disappeared behind the door. He stood there silently, the only companionship was that of the cold night air and the darkness of the night._

_Then, the door shut with a haunting and thunderous roar._

Minato shot up, sweat traveling down his brow as his panted heavily. He looked around and saw that he was still in Lady Mito's home. Night had fallen and light from the streetlamps had painted the walls inside her home. Shapes varying from all shapes and sizes were all on the wall and Minato couldn't help shivering from the chilling memory they reminded him of.

Suddenly, the lights turned on and Minato jumped in his place and looked around. He saw Kushina staring at him with sleepy indigo eyes, standing right where he saw her the last time he woke up.

"What's wrong?" she asked, half angrily, half sleepily. Minato blushed and stared down at his hands that lay on his lap, fiddling his thumbs together.

"W-What do you mean?" he stuttered hesitantly though he had a feeling he knew what she meant.

"I heard screaming... Very girly, very flaky screaming coming from this room," she said monotonously as she walked over to the couch and sat herself beside Minato, to his left. She leaned over and her head landed right on his shoulder, making the blond's blush darken. "Why are you screaming? And hurry up, I'm starting to sleep already."

Minato just stared at his hands, as if consulting with them if he should actually tell her. It wouldn't hurt to tell her right?

"I just had a bad dream; that's all," he told her and hoped she'd drop it.

"About what?" Minato sighed.

"It's just a dream about something that happened to me a few years ago," he answered and she moaned lightly as she snuggled his shoulder. He tensed and almost jumped away.

"It's good to talk about things," she said in a mumble. He turned his head to stare at her and saw that her eyes were closed and her red hair was sprawled everywhere. She slowly brushed aside the stray hairs in her face and her left eye opened softly. She stared at him with glassy eyes before closing it again.

"You want me to tell you... what happened in my dream?" he asked, almost afraid she'll hit him for even thinking she'd imply that. Oddly enough, she nodded dumbly.

"It's good to let things..." she paused to let out a long and loud yawn. He scrunched up his face; she didn't brush her teeth before heading for bed. "Let things out. Get it off "of your chest."

Minato thought about her words; she was right. But could he tell her about what happened?

"My mother died when I was only three," he started and he heard her hum to herself. She didn't say or do much else so Minato took that as a sign to continue. "She was sick; so much so that she was confined to her bed for most of her life since I was born. My dad never told me but I think I was the reason she got so unhealthy," Minato narrated as he felt tears sting his eyes. He held them in so Kushina wouldn't see him cry. Unfortunately, his voice began to betray him as it cracked and croaked every once in a while. He paused for a moment to take a breather, to calm himself. When he felt like he wouldn't break down and cry like a one year old, he continued.

"I have nightmares, detailed nightmares of how my mother dies alone in a bed, weak and slowly withering away like a fallen leaf. She always calls out to me, asking for my help before the life in her eyes dies away," he said in a hushed tone. He knew his mother death still affected him to this day, but when he felt his silent tears traveling down his cheeks, he was surprised that not a choked sob or sniffle was heard in the room. Actually, he was surprised that the only sound coming from the room was made by Kushina.

"I didn't think she snored," Minato mumbled to himself as he wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. A smile shaped his lips as he slowly and carefully placed Kushina's whole body on the couch. On silent toes, Minato could've floated over to the light switch as not a sound came from him as he turned off the lights.

Kushina slowly opened her violet-blue eyes as she took in a shadow walking out of the door and slowly closing it. She moaned as she turned and buried her face into the comfort of the pillow. There was a vaguely familiar scent in the pillow but Kushina's sleep deprived brain couldn't place a name or face with the scent. It didn't matter though; she was finally going to go back to sleep and that's all that she cared about.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Minato felt well rested; he felt like he could face Jiraiya-sensei one-on-one. Though, he dare not actually fight him at his present power level. Maybe after a few years of extensive training, he might stand a chance. Maybe.

The blond just wandered the streets, the sun would be rising soon so he had much time to kill.

_'Maybe I should train. Even if we still go to the Academy, I can't just stop training. I need to get stronger; being Hokage isn't just a title, it's an expectation,' _Minato told himself as he picked up his speed, rushing over to the training grounds. On his way there, he passed one training ground where he sensed chakra flaring and pulsing radically every once once in a while. He went to take a look and saw a boy at the age of twelve turning a log to ashes with a grand fireball.

The twelve year old had semi-long, black hair with even darker and colder onyx eyes. Determination sparked in his eyes, something Minato could relate to and he was having trouble deciding if he should walk up to the boy and talk to him.

The older boy paused, as if hesitating. "You can come out now," he called out and Minato's body froze stock-still. He'd been caught, he couldn't believe he let himself be found. Not that he was trying to hide but he probably should've be more cautious. He didn't know how friendly and deadly this boy was.

Minato walked towards the boy and made eye contact with him when the older one turned. As soon as the boy saw who was standing in front of him, he blinked in surprise.

"What's a brat like you doing out so early? Shouldn't you be home snuggling with your blanket?" The black-haired boy taunted with a stoic expression. Minato's cheeks lightly heated up; true, he did have a blanket he liked to sleep with, but the boy didn't really know that. He was just mocking him because of his age.

"I just happened to be around. I could feel you use your chakra from meters away," Minato informed him and the boy just scoffed.

"Do you even know what chakra-" the boy paused as if finally noticing Minato for the first time. The boy's eyes widened slightly but then they narrowed a bit as a small smirk crept into his lips. "I knew I recognized you somewhere. Minato Namikaze; the boy who graduated two years early," Minato eyed the boy warily.

"Yeah, that's me. Who are you?" Minato asked.

"I am Fugaku Uchiha; the heir to the Uchiha clan," Fugaku introduced, his tone dripping with pride. "You should feel honored; not a lot of people get to see me train," he said and Minato sweatdropped.

"Should I?" Minato asked rhetorically before shaking his shoulders. Fugaku scowled at his disrespect for him and his clan.

"You got a lot of nerve, kid," Fugaku snarled as his tightened his hands into fists. "If you don't apologize to me right now, I might have to make you," the Uchiha threatened and Minato blinked at this.

Fugaku was surprised when Minato smirked defiantly at him and dropped to a fighting stance. He sucked his teeth in irritation before smirking as well. "It's your funeral."

Minato was the first to make the first move as he dashed to Fugaku and threw the first punch. Fugaku swerved to the left and sent a punch of his own. The blond retaliated by tilting his head to the side to avoid the assault and then jump to send a kick to his head. The Uchiha blocked the kick with his left forearm and pushed it off him.

They continued to throw punches and kicks for a while longer before Minato noticed that Fugaku wasn't taking him seriously. It wasn't as if Minato was fighting with all he had but at this rate, he'd tire before the older boy. If the smirk on Fugaku's face said anything, it was that he also came to this realization.

"Just give up and apologize," Fugaku told him and Minato bit his lower lip before jumping back. He bowed his head.

"I'm... sorry," Minato uttered and Fugaku smirked as he dropped his guard. Minato kept his head down so he didn't really see Fugaku walk up to him, he just heard his footsteps. He was shocked when Fugaku kicked Minato behind his knees and sent him forward. Minato caught himself before his face hit the ground.

On his hands and knees, Minato felt Fugaku place his foot harshly on his back. He groaned and his his ire grow.

"I couldn't hear you," the proud Uchiha sneered with venom. Minato shut his eyes and clenched them; he just wanted to beat the boy's face in. However, he wasn't strong enough, he knew it. Fighting back would prove useless; he'd eventually tire out before the Uchiha and he'd go through more pain than necessary.

"I'm sorry," Minato said louder and Fugaku chuckled deviously as he shoved Minato onto his back. The blond looked up at the Uchiha and saw the sneering smirk on Fugaku's face.

"Remember this day; engrave it into your mind," the prideful Uchiha spat as he applied pressure to the blond's back. "Always remember who is the superior between the two of us," Fugaku growled out, as if he was enjoying how pathetic Minato look at the moment. "Now leave; your presence is bothering me. You reek of failure," Fugaku turned his back to Minato as the blond stood and watched the elder of the two.

A seething hatred was building up in Minato and he wanted to do nothing more than attack the boy from behind and make him kiss the ground. He wanted to humiliate the Uchiha and crush him, both his body and ego. But he was also scared; the older boy was way stronger than him, way faster, and had much more stamina than he did.

With reluctance, Minato ran off, to relieve the tension and hatred he felt in his heart with some training.

_'I have to get stronger,'_ Minato thought fiercely as he became a blond blur soaring through the village

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry to have to stop it there but I couldn't continue without adding another 6k words and that's a bit much honestly... at least, too much for one chapter...<strong>

**Hey, i'll be back later..**

**Peace**


	4. Picking Up the Pieces

**I live!**

**Well, I always have but that's not the point...**

**I give you, chapter four!**

**Chapter 4: Picking Up the Pieces...**

**I don't own anything!**

* * *

><p>Minato panted as his sweat traveled down his face. He looked up the tree; he had picked the tallest tree around and was currently in the process of running laps up and down it. He had to keep going, he couldn't stop, not now, not ever.<p>

With his mind set to finish his last lap, he flew off his feet and ran up the tree. He had taken off his light blue jacket and left it folded at the base of the tree, it was too hot to be wearing a jacket so he was left with his dark blue shirt and matching pants. His forehead protector was tied to his forehead. He dodged the branches sticking out, sometimes taking out a kunai to cut some out of his way and jumping over the ones he had cut down before. Right at the peak of the tree, a click was heard right before he jumped, did a flip and landed at the tip of the tree. Taking out his stopwatch, he saw that it had taken him about thirty-one seconds to reach the top.

He mentally scolded himself; he was getting sloppy. His eyes shot up at the sky and saw no cloud disturbing the sun as it glared down at him. He closed his eyes, bowed his head and let out a deep sigh.

It's been three years since he officially became a Genin under the tutelage of Jiraiya of the Sannin with his teammates, but also three years since he was humiliated. He hadn't seen Fugaku since then and at the moment, he had no desire to. He still felt like wasn't strong enough to face the Uchiha. He's gotten stronger since then, a lot stronger according to Jiraiya, but that didn't mean Fugaku didn't get stronger either. He heard Fugaku and his team were entering in the Chūnin Exams this year. He had asked his sensei if they were entering the Exams this year as well, but the white-haired man had only shrugged and walked towards the Red-light District.

It was one of the many things no one really knew of the man, but Minato was sneaky and followed Jiraiya. Minato shivered at the memory and swore to never enter that part of the village for another... Well... Can ninjas really live passed fifty?

Regardless, Minato shook his head and looked down at the ground. At the base of the tree lay the leftovers he bought from some restaurant the other night. His stomach growled for the food so he ran down the tree with the agility and speed well beyond his years.

He landed as quietly as a leaf falling from a tree and immediately proceeded to chow down. His lunch wasn't anything fancy; just some rice, cooked fish and an apple he bought from a merchant on his way to his training spot.

After devouring his main course, he moved to his 'dessert'. His red apple.

Red.

His eyes softened as he remembered what happened two years ago, taking a bite of his apple as he did so...

_Minato could only watched as strands of Kushina's red hair flew into the wind as she turned and punched the Genin in his stomach. The teen bowed forward from the blow before spinning from a harsh kick delivered by Kushina. She then jumped in the air, flipped and drove the heel of her right foot onto the Genin's head. The blow knocked him off his feet and onto his back, giving Kushina the opportunity to get on top of him to punch his face multiple times as his brother watched in fear._

_The younger brother ran in fear as Kushina proceeded to tell the Genin that she was who she was, and that she accepted herself, even if she didn't like everything about her. When her pent up aggression finally died down, the boy mocked Kushina's dream of being the first female Hokage._

"_As if an outsider could ever be Hokage!" he said angrily, getting a hurt gasp from Kushina before walking off to take care of his wounds._

_Minato knew he was wrong; she was not an outsider. And her hair was anything but ugly._

"_You're not going to help me because I'm an outsider!" she shouted at Minato, who was caught off guard._

"_I..." he said but was interrupted._

"_I bet you agree with them, too!" she shrieked before taking off. Minato watched her go, silently cursing himself for not saying anything._

That was the last he saw of her. He hadn't seen her around the village or any public places. Not that he was looking for her, he just happened to run into all his academy classmates at one point or another, except for her. Even Mikoto barely sees her outside the academy; she told him that she disappears for hours on end sometimes and doesn't even show up to class half the time. He really wanted to tell her something the day after that event, anything at all...

But what could he have said? Even now, two years later, he wasn't sure what he could've said. He wanted to protect her, he still wants to. But he had never jumped into a fight to help her, not once. He had silently supported her from afar and vouched for her once. He used to think that was enough; he felt like he had no reason to step in.

But why not?

"Hey," Minato was taken out of thoughts as Kana walked up to him with Daichi at her left, his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," he greeted back, giving a nod to Daichi. "Have any of you seen Jiraiya-sensei recently?" both shook their heads.

"He just told us to meet him here at this time," Kana answered and Minato nodded. He knew the man was up to something; but what?

"Glad you're all here," they heard the loud voice of their sensei say. Minato saw a stack of papers in his hands and a sense of dread immediately filled him. By the looks on his teammates face, they knew what they were, too. "Quick, I need you to sign these!"

"Are these the release forms for the Chūnin Exams?" Kana asked excitedly and Jiraiya nodded enthusiastically. He handed out the forms and looked at each of his charges.

"I believe you three have what it takes to be a Chūnin," he said proudly. Minato looked at his form and then up at Jiraiya. He believed in him?

The three Genin looked at each other. "Got some pens?" Daichi asked and Jiraiya laughed as he tossed them each a pen.

Minato stared at the pen, his mind racing at the thought of entering the exams. He noticed that he three teammates proceeded to scribble their names down, barely taking in consideration what the forms actually say. Minato, on the other hand, looked down and read line for line.

_Injuries_

_Mutilation,_

_Amputation,_

_Blood,_

_Hospital,_

_Death..._

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Minato looked up to see his teammates handing in their forms to Jiraiya, who patted Kana's head and gently slapped Daichi's left shoulder. It was then that each of them noticed that Minato was still sitting on the ground, his form still blank.

"What's wrong?" Jiraiya asked and suddenly, Minato felt like the entire village was staring at him. Could he tell Jiraiya that he didn't feel ready? That he was too afraid to die at such an early age? That he didn't want to be separated from the only family he had since his dad died?

He could, but he wasn't going to. He signed the form within seconds and handed it to Jiraiya with a smile. Jiraiya seemed hesitant but took it and forced a smile for his students.

"Be prepared for one of the biggest test you'll ever have to go through, gakis," he said and then waved the forms in front of him. "I'm just glad I'm not you guys, that's for sure," and without another word, the man disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves,

"The hell?" Kana cursed under her breath before facing her teammates. "Forget that old man, I just can't believe we're entering the Chūnin Exams!" she exclaimed with excitement coloring her voice.

"It's about time," Daichi commented. "I was tired of doing these lame D-rank missions. Some of the C-rank missions weren't that bad but I could use more excitement in my life," he continued and the two turned to Minato. Said boy just blinked.

"Hm?"

"What do you think?" Kana asked. Minato's eyes shifted from both his teammates.

"...cool...?" he answered, receiving odd stares from Daichi and Kana. He stood up and went to go pick up his bento box. "I'd like to stay and talk but I got things to do," he smiled and waved at them. "Goodbye."

And using the body-flicker technique, he left half of Team 8 feeling confused and inexplicably hungry.

[*.*.*.*]

Minato had completely disappeared from the radar.

No matter how badly she'd deny it to anyone – even to herself – she'd occasionally wonder what happened to the girly blond. It wasn't like he was on her mind all the time but ever since that fight with the Genin, she hadn't seen hide or hair of the boy. It didn't matter though, he was just like everyone else; he didn't care about her.

She clenched her fists tightly as she began to pummel the log set up in front of her. Each punch was given enough force to cause the log's bark to break off, and if it had already snapped off, then her fists would leave an indent. She continued to work on her Taijutsu for ten minutes before she decided to stop.

As she refilled her lungs with air, she had to take a second to feel proud of herself. In two days' time, she would be a Genin; she'd officially be a part of Konoha. Finally, she'd no longer be the outsider, the loser, the unwanted nobody. She knew there was still a possibility that she won't be well liked but at the least, her new teammates would have to talk to her. Aside from Mikoto and Inoichi, she didn't really interact with other kids – she didn't count the boys she beats up since... well, it just doesn't count.

A strand of red hair appeared within her line of sight and she just stared at it. Her left hand rose up and held it, between her thumb and forefinger. A sudden urge to pluck the strand off her head coursed through her and she could feel her hand coming up with the force to do it. Instead, she moved it to the side, away from her line of sight.

Like she said, she didn't like her hair, but it was still _her_ hair.

A growl was heard and she had to blush; her stomach demanded food!

"Ramen!" she shouted with glee as she rocketed out of her training spot and headed straight for the grocery store. She was out of instant ramen and she needed to stock up; she already ate everything else in the house.

It didn't take long to get to the grocery store and went directly to the spot where they sold the instant ramen. Such heavenly food products were too good to be displayed with cans of off-brand beans and some spices no one every really used on a daily basis. Such a meal deserved to have its own isle – NO! To have it's own store, with many more flavors, millions among millions of flavors!

Food. Of. The. Gods.

After buying what appeared to be a year's worth of ramen – that was surely more like a month's worth to Kushina – she decided it was time to head home to eat and sleep for a while before resuming her training. Today, Lady Mito told her she was going to teach her some very exciting new things.

She was so excited that she took to the rooftops and began bouncing around from roof to roof, ignorant of three sets of eyes watching her.

"I'm home! With ramen, too!" she declared, her voice full of vitality. She was about to get nasty with the ramen, it was only a matter of time...

She began to worry when she didn't hear Lady Mito reply. "Lady Mito?" she called out, but still received no answer. She went into the kitchen to put the ramen away before looking for her caretaker. Taped to the refrigerator was a note, and relief washed over Kushina like a wave onto the beach's shore.

It read:

_Kushina-chan,_

_I have to take care of some business outside of Konoha, so I'll be gone for a couple of days. I'm sorry I'm not there to make you lunch but I'm sure you bought instant ramen anyway._

Kushina stopped reading to laugh as she stared at her lovelies. _'Oh Granny Mito, you know me all too well,'_ she thought before continuing.

_I have someone coming to check up on you everyday so don't think that my absences means you can do whatever you want._

She just sweatdropped.

_As for your surprise, it's next to the stove._

_Enjoy._

Kushina put down the note to see a scroll neatly placed beside the stove, just like the note said. When she opened it, she was surprised to see that it was a Jutsu scroll.

Her joyous laughter could be heard as she darted out of her home, heading for her usual training spot...

She later returned to make a couple of ramens to take with her.

[*.*.*.*]

Kushina wasn't the only one having problems locating the blond. Even his own teammates haven't seen him since they last met, which was on the day they signed the forms. That was two days ago.

"Still no sign?" Kana asked but Daichi replied negatively. "Damn that kid. He's not at the Dango shop, at his apartment or any of his usual spots. Where the hell..."

"What's going on, gakis?" the duo turned to see Jiraiya smiling at them. He blinked and his smile was replaced with a confused look. "Where's blond minion?"

Kana shook her head. "We don't know, we're looking for him. Have you seen him around?" As expected, Jiraiya hadn't seen him either.

"You checked his usual spots?" a nod from both charges. "Go check again, maybe he's there now," his two charges nodded and Kana was the first to go.

"What will you do, Jiraiya-sensei?" Daichi asked and Jiraiya looked in a seemingly random direction.

"I'll ask around, see if any of my comrades have seen the gaki running around. I'll send one of my toads to get you two if I find him," satisfied, the young teen went off to search for his teammate. Jiraiya flashed through hand signs before crouching down to touch the cement sidewalk under him. A toad, green with some dark brown spots on its back, appeared.

"Yes?"

"I want you to look for one of my minions, the blond one. Report back to me if you find anything," he ordered and without another word, the toad was off. Jiraiya stood up and went straight for one of the local bars. Once he arrived, he wasn't surprised to see it full of people, even though it was still one in the afternoon. As expected, he saw his favorite girl guzzling down a bottle of sake.

"Tsunade-hime!" the pervert greeted with extreme glee. The blonde bombshell turned with disdain before resuming her drinking as if he had never arrived. "So cold,"

"When you pay what you owe me, I might consider treating you like a normal human being," he sweat dropped before taking out a hundred ryo from his pocket and slipping it into her extended hand. She accepted it before smiling at him with a sense of superiority. She motioned him to join her and he took the stool to her left.

"So, what do you want? Does Sarutobi-sensei have anything new for us?" she asked with sarcastic joy and Jiraiya laughed.

"No, no, nothing like that. I was just wondering if you've seen a student of mine?" he asked but groaned when he saw Tsunade looking in the opposite direction with her right hand extended out. He slipped her fifty and she took a swing of the sake bottle.

"Haven't seen him, none of the three," a vein in his forehead pulsed. "I've heard that blond brat of yours is becoming wildly popular with the our generation," she pointed to a group of guys sitting in a table in the right corner of the room. "These guys here are saying he's a prodigy of sorts; supposed to be better than Orochi-baka when he was his age," Jiraiya nodded proudly.

"Damn straight."

"I see," she said before drinking more sake. "So he's gone missing?" she asked and didn't need to turn to know Jiraiya nodded. "Check his usual places?"

"My other students are doing it now, but they said they looked earlier with no luck,"

"Well he's only one brat; prodigy or not," Tsunade said and Jiraiya furrowed his brow in thought. "Ask, Orochi-baka, see what he thinks," Tsunade suggested and Jiraiya hummed; it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Where is he?"

*.*

"Leave me alone, Jiraiya," Orochimaru groaned as he glared at the white-haired menace standing outside his home. "I'm busy,"

"I just wanted to know if you've seen Minato around?" at this, Orochimaru's demeanor changed and a sly grin crossed his lips.

"Ah, the prodigy, the one said to have surpassed me when I was his age," his grin was then replaced with a thin line. "Unfortunately, I can't say I have; I've been far too busy lately," he answered.

"...with what?" Jiraiya asked, getting a chilling feeling. Orochimaru shrugged his shoulders.

"Work."

"I see," Jiraiya retorted awkwardly. He coughed into his right hand. "Any suggestions?"

Orochimaru tapped his chin with his right index finger. "His typical habitats?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow; he's never heard anyone phrase it that way before. "Nothing."

"Hm, this must be inconvenient for you," Orochimaru noted before shrugging his shoulders. "I can't help you," he said before walking in his home and closing the door behind him. Before it closed all the way, Jiraiya slipped his foot in the crack. Orochimaru looked back to see Jiraiya glaring at him.

"You can't, or you wont?"

Orochimaru grinned. "What's the difference?"

Jiraiya just glared at him before taking out his foot and walking away.

"What do you know of the boy?" he heard Orochimaru said, followed by the sound of a closing door. Those last words made Jiraiya's mind think a thousand thoughts at once. Everything he knew about Minato raced in his head as he walked aimlessly around Konoha. Soon enough, he ran into his two charges.

"Anything?" he asked and they shook their heads. He looked at the sky and noticed that it was almost six; how time flies. "I got nothing on my end either."

"Geez, it's like he fell off the face of the Earth," Daichi said.

Kana scoffed. "He's gone for three days and doesn't say a word to us; it's like he was raised by animals or something."

"That's a bit harsh to say, Kana," Jiraiya scolded. "Considering his circumsta-" he stopped in mid-thought as a realization hit him. "What's today?"

"Wednesday?" Kana answered.

"Date?"

Kana hummed to herself. "June 23rd, why?" Daichi answered and followed it up with a question.

"No reason, I just remembered I need to be somewhere right now," he gave them each a reassuring smile and patted both their heads with his hands. "Just know Minato is all right, he just needs time to himself," the two nodded, still confused, but much more relaxed than they were earlier. "You'll see him in time for the Chūnin Exams, I know it."

"If you say so Jiraiya-sensei," Kana said and Jiraiya bellowed in laughter.

"I do. Now go home, I'm sure you're parents are waiting for you two with dinner ready," the two nodded before bowing to their sensei and heading home. Jiraiya watched them go, that same smile on his face before it was exchanged with a frown. He went off to one of two places where the blond might be.

But he wasn't at the Memorial Stone like Jiraiya thought he would be.

Of all places he could be, he was sure he'd be here. Jiraiya traced over Minato's father's name and stared at it somberly. There were a few of his own friends whose names were engraved on the Stone. The Stone hadn't been around for too long; they had placed it here some time after the Second Hokage died. Still, over fifty names were already engraved into it.

Jiraiya gave it one last look before disappearing.

[*.*.*.*]

Darkness.

That's all there was to comfort him.

Darkness and the four walls surrounding him.

He once heard that there was no such thing as darkness, just lack of light.

Had even darkness abandoned him? With light gone, he figured darkness was his only companion. But was that companionship all an illusion, painted by the light's abandonment? Was he truly meant to be alone?

It didn't matter, he realized, because eventually everything faded away to time.

Pain registered in his eyes as he was suddenly engulfed by light from the streetlamp outside.

"Minato?" he heard a familiar voice call out.

"Who... who's there?" he called out, hoping it all wasn't just an illusion created by his depression. A silhouette stood at the door way and for a second, Minato felt happiness fill his heart. "F-Father?"

Jiraiya felt his heart break when he heard Minato call out for his father. He walked up to Minato, who was sitting on the floor, hugging his knees with tear streaks running down his cheeks. His eyes – dull and lifeless – never rose above his knees.

"Minato, it's me, Jiraiya," he felt bad for popping the poor boy's bubble but he couldn't let him think he was his father; he was never coming back, unfortunately.

"Ji... Jiraiya?" he sounded confused and dazed, as if he'd never heard the name before.

"Minato, are you okay?" he said as he knelt down and place his hand gently on the boy's shoulder. That physical connection seemed to bring the blond back and he looked up at Jiraiya with shock.

"J-Jiraiya-sensei! What are you doing here?" he asked, completely snapping out of his stupor and wiping away his tears with his sleeves.

"The team's been looking for you, gaki. We were worried about you," Jiraiya informed him and Minato looked up at him with a confused expression.

"T-They were?" Jiraiya nodded.

"Yes, we were," he corrected and Minato looked away with a blush.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you guys worry over nothing," he said and Jiraiya shifted to he was sitting beside Minato's left.

"What's wrong?" he asked, making Minato look at him with a shocked look.

"Nothing! I-I'm fine!" he lied, and knew he wasn't fooling the great Sannin when said Sannin raised his left eyebrow. The blond sighed as he stared down at his feet. "I don't want to lose you guys."

"What do you mean gaki? Team 8's not going anywhere," Jiraiya assured.

"The Chūnin Exams. We can get killed while taking it and no one would be reliable," he looked up at Jiraiya with emotional, azure orbs. "And Kana and Daichi aren't taking this seriously! They're treating this like a game, but it's not! I could lose more of my family!"

Jiraiya just stared into the boy's eyes and knew exactly how he felt. His own mother had abandoned him and he didn't know what happened to his father. His family had consisted of Tsunade, Orochimaru and Sarutobi, and recently, his three charges. He wasn't exactly happy about throwing them into the fire that was the Chūnin Exams but he knew he needed to.

Minato silently gasped when Jiraiya placed his arm around his shoulders and brought him in for a side hug.

"I know what you mean," he said, getting lost in his memories. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost my teammates or sensei, or even you three rugrats."

Minato's eyes gleamed with hope. "Us too?" Jiraiya wordlessly confirmed his answer with a nod. Minato felt something stir within him; he wasn't sure what it was exactly but it made him feel warm.

"Jiraiya-sensei?"

"Hm?"

"..." Minato hesitated for a second, before gathering up the courage to speak again. "Do you know... when someone tells me that I should be proud of my father, I don't feel pride," he told him, confusing the white-haired man.

"What do you mean?"

"To someone else, they might be happy and proud to have had such a courageous father do... well, you know, what he did," Jiraiya nodded, prompting Minato to continue. "But, I don't."

Jiraiya said nothing.

"To a five year old, making such a courageous sacrifice means nothing if you lose the only family you have. I feel sadness at the loss of my father and even worthless that I wasn't a good enough reason for him to continue living after my mother died. I'm just worthless!" he confessed and quiet tears leaked from his puffy eyes. Jiraiya just held the crying pre-teen, not saying a word and not needing to; his presence was good enough for Minato.

Out of nowhere, the blond turned to his sensei. "Do you forgive me?"

"Hm? For what?"

"I... Before my father left, I told him..." Minato had to pause, his voice was beginning to fade. And still, Jiraiya waited patiently for him to compose himself. "I told him that I hated him. I yelled it at the top of my lungs and do you know what he said?" the man shook his head. "_'Goodbye son, I love you.'_"

Minato broke down again.

"I... I didn't... I couldn't say it back! I was so mad... I didn't want to lose him. He shouldn't have left if I said I hated him. So then why...?" he sobbed. "I just want my daddy back!" he shouted in frustration as he cried into Jiraiya's blue shirt, surprising the Sannin. He had kept it bottled inside him, Jiraiya could see that. For years he tried his best to be strong, to keep his emotions behind a wall of indifference and maturity that was well beyond his years. That night, however, was the second time his wall had fallen.

Jiraiya felt a bit awkward, never really experiencing something like this with a kid. The closest he's been to experiencing this was when Tsunade came to him when she took a life for the first time. Still, he felt some kind of paternal instinct kick in as he held the blond closer while patting his back and hushing him like a father would to his crying baby son.

"I forgive you, Minato," Jiraiya said after giving Minato time to let out his pent up emotions. "And you're not worthless; you have three people that care about you, and love you like family," the man added. Minato just shivered. Soon enough, his sobs died down and his breathing began to regulate. Jiraiya looked down at the boy and saw that his eyelids were half closed, his cerulean eyes glassy, red and puffy from all the crying.

"Thank you..." Minato managed to mumble before drifting off into blissful sleep. Jiraiya didn't move, not for a long time. He kept staring at his surrogate son and a smile slowly crept into his mouth. He didn't know what time it was, but it didn't matter. The boy had more than enough time to rest, the Chūnin Exams was still two days away.

Eventually, Jiraiya carefully got up with the sleeping blond in his arms and he walked out of the home. Before shutting the door, he looked back inside. There was probably a lot of memories, good and bad, in the home for the blond brat. With a silent breath, he closed the door and engaged the locks.

[*.*.*.*]

Four days have passed since Kushina received the jutsu scroll from Lady Mito. It had definitely been an uphill battle but she never gave up and in the end, she was the victor.

_'Still no sign of the blond wuss,'_ she mentally noted.

Still, it didn't matter since she was now officially a Genin – she even had the Konoha forehead protector to prove it, which was proudly tied to her forehead. Finally, a chance to show the villagers that she was no outsider.

Contrary to what she may say or may have said, she liked Konoha. She wanted this to be her new home, it was just too peaceful and nice to hate. She just wished her parents could be there with her so they could see just how awesome Konoha was.

Which reminded her, she needed to write to them again.

"Well, well, look who it is," Kushina blinked and looked behind her to see two boys, both black-haired. They looked like they could be related to Mikoto somehow; second cousin? Who knows...

"What do you two want?" she asked warily. She had a bad feeling about those two...

"We just wanted to talk," the one on the left said with a false smile.

"Oh yeah? Then why is your buddy's right hand twitching? Is he itching for a fight?" she asked as she cracked her knuckles. The boy she spoke of growled as he reached into his pouch.

"Forget this!" he growled as he tossed a wire with two steel balls connected to each end. It was faster than Kushina's reaction and it tied her arms to her torso, and the momentum of the weapon sent her onto the ground. She struggled against the wire but it kept digging into her skin.

"That was too easy," the boy on the right declared in a condescending tone. She continued to struggle before she laughed, baffling the two watching her. "What?"

She didn't reply, nor did she need to. A second later, she was covered in smoke, revealing a log. A shadow suddenly began to form in front of them, causing the two to look up. The boy on the left was faster then his ally as he jumped to the left, just as Kushina came down with a harsh heel to top of the boy on the right's head. He was unconscious before she even touched the ground.

His ninja training kicking in, the remaining boy rushed her, producing a kunai. With unexpected elegance, Kushina spun on her toes, simultaneously taking out her own kunai and blocking the boy's swing with her other arm. She poised the kunai to strike his neck but stopped inches from penetrating the skin.

Sweat sped down the boys forehead. "How can I lose to you... an outsider? I'm am an elite!" he declared as he used his free hand to push her hand holding the kunai back. He then freed his other hand, returned his kunai to his pouch before running through seals. "**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!**" he shouted as he spat a fireball at Kushina.

Clumsily racing through her own after putting away her kunai, she took in a deep breath, gathered up as much chakra as she could on such short notice and released a gust of wind. Normally, fire has a natural advantage over wind. Unfortunately for the poor fool, Kushina had overcharged the gust of wind and it completely overpowered the fireball – redirecting it to a random tree. Not only that, but the gust of wind sent the black-haired boy flying back into a tree, effectively knocking him out from the force of the blow.

Kushina panted, holding herself up by her knees and chuckling. She pulled off the Wind Style: Great Breakthrough pretty well – albeit not as great as when she had time to prepare but as long as it did its job, she wasn't complaining. She wiped the sweat from her brow as she stood up and admired her work. It was at that moment that she noticed the tree that had taken the hit from the fireball was on fire!

Before she could even think of what to do, she heard a slow, soft clapping behind her. She turned and whipped out a kunai from the pouch on her right leg and positioned it to defend or attack, whichever she needed to do.

"That was pretty impressive... for a girl," the newcomer taunted as he slowly walked in her direction. Kushina kept her position tight, though she didn't look all that intimidating with her chest heaving like it was.

"Who are you and why did you send these clowns after me?" Kushina asked while trying not to sound tired. She could've done better.

"I am Fugaku Uchiha, and these clowns are my teammates, though they won't be for much longer," he said with disgust. He noticed Kushina's questioning gaze and decided to elaborate. "You see, I'm entering the Chūnin Exams today and soon enough, I will be a Chūnin. Impressive isn't it?" he asked.

Kushina just gave him a blank stare as she put away her kunai. "I'm not impressed," she said nonchalantly. Fugaku sucked his teeth as his ire flared.

"How dare you..."

"What's going on here?" the two turned to see an ANBU with a serpent mask.

"Just some sparring, though we got a bit carried away," Kushina said, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of her head with her right hand. The ANBU turned his head to Fugaku for confirmation, who nodded his head with a frown. Without the need for seals, the ANBU raised his right hand and a blast of water shot at the burning tree. It was out within seconds.

"What of these two?" the ANBU asked.

"She said we got carried away, didn't she? These two just overdid it and are resting," Fugaku spat with venom. Since it came from a snot-nose brat, Kushina had no doubt the ANBU was glaring and silently cursing at Fugaku.

"Be more careful," was all the ANBU said before leaving. Kushina's frown returned as she glared at Fugaku.

"I could've put the blame on you," Fugaku said, smirking haughtily.

"And tell them what? That I attacked two Uchihas and beat them? Yeah, that'll look real good for your clan," she countered, wiping the smirk off his face. "On second thought, let's tell that ANBU that story, that's way better!"

"I didn't come here to fight," Fugaku said before she could utter another word.

"You sure have a funny way of showing it," she stated.

"True, I could have gone about this another way. But then I wouldn't have known if you were worthy," he said with a sinister grin plastered on his face.

Kushina raised an eyebrow. "Worthy? Worthy for what?"

"To be my girlfriend, what else?" his words shocked Kushina. "True enough, there are other girls who might be worthy enough of being the Uchiha heir's girl, but I don't want just any girl; I want one who knows how to fight," he added.

"..." Kushina was speechless.

"I see my offer is just too overwhelming for-"

"I think I'm going to be sick," Kushina said, her face getting green.

"W-What?"

"Get lost, I don't want a stuck up prick for a boyfriend. Hell, I don't even want a boyfriend, he'd just hold me back," Kushina stated before she began to walk away. She stopped to look back at him and his stupid expression, before shaking her head. "Just... hell no!" she said one last time before leaving the clearing. Fugaku just watched her go until she disappeared from sight. He blinked before growling and clenching his fist tightly.

Who does a lowly nobody think she is? He was an Uchiha and he always got what he wanted!

He burst through clearing before stopping at the sidewalk. He looked around and saw Kushina turning the corner a block down. He charged after her, wanting to teach the outsider her place.

He came to a screeching halt when some blond jumped down from a nearby rooftop and landed in Fugaku's way a few meters away.

"Get out of my way!" the teen shouted as he sent a fist forward. Minato lazily got out of his way with a twist of his upper body, while also grabbing Fugaku's arm and tossing the older teen over him using his momentum. Unfortunately, Fugaku was prepared so he managed to land on his feet with a jerk of his legs in midair. He glared at Minato who just stared at him with indifference.

At first glance, Fugaku had no idea who this blond nuisance was but after taking a good look at him, he remembered. His face lit up with sadistic amusement and he stood up.

"I see, it's you," he said and Minato's passive expression shifted to an angrier one. "What? Back for revenge?"

"Leave her alone," this caused Fugaku to blink. "She's not interested."

The gears in Fugaku's head finally began to turn. "I get it, you like her," he concluded with a grin.

"When a lady says _no_, she means _no_," Minato said, ignoring Fugaku's comment. Fugaku only laughed as he noticed the slight tint of Minato's cheeks.

"And you're some kind of women-expert now?" Fugaku mocked with a snicker. His demeanor changed as he glowered at the blond. "Don't get in my way, kid. You're not dealing with any Genin," he said as he puffed his chest out and raised his head back. "I'm about to become a Chūnin."

"As am I," Minato countered, throwing Fugaku off. The teen just stared at the blond before laughing.

"That's rich!" Fugaku taunted as he held his stomach. "This is too much. You're entering the Chūnin Exams as well? Wow, Konoha must be getting desperate for Chūnins if they're letting you enter."

"They have to be if you're in it, too," Minato jabbed, causing Fugaku's laughter to die down. He glared at the blond and his knuckles turned white from how tight he clenched his fists.

"Well, now, it's getting late," the two turned to see Jiraiya walking down towards them. "Wouldn't want any Chūnin-hopefuls to miss the opportunity to go up in rank," he said and Fugaku scoffed at him before glaring at Minato one last time.

"We'll settle this during the exams," Fugaku said. Minato nodded. Fugaku used the body-flicker technique and was out of sight a moment later. Jiraiya and Minato stared at the spot he was standing on just a moment ago before staring at each other.

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei. If you hadn't shown up when you did, I think he would've tried to fight me," Minato said and Jiraiya scoffed.

"You could've handled him," he said confidently, making Minato chuckle mirthlessly.

"I wish I was as confident in myself as you seem to be," Minato stated. Jiraiya placed his hand on Minato's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You can take that kid on, and win if you really believe in yourself. I have no doubt in my mind that you could flat-out wipe the floor of that Uchiha princess," Jiraiya assured him. Minato felt his confident rise from his sensei's words. It was almost as if he was feeding Minato his confidence through his hand.

"Thanks Jiraiya-sensei," Minato thanked with a bright smile.

"Anytime, gaki. Now come on, Kana and Daichi are waiting for you at the academy and you know how impatient Kana gets," he said and Minato flinched and, not ran, but flew towards the academy.

"Thanks again Jiraiya-sensei! For everything!" Jiraiya watched him go with joy in his heart before taking in a breath. He wasn't kidding when he told his kids they were in for a hell of a test; the Chūnin Exams could skyrocket their ninja careers... or end it.

[*.*.*.*]

"The transfer is complete!"

"The monster is sealed tight; the scrolls seems to be holding up!"

"Her vitals?"

"Stable, but I'm afraid she doesn't have long."

"How... How much time do I have left?" a weak voice cried out, interrupting any further conversations. All eyes went to her and a man in white robes made his way towards her. "Don't look at me that way, I'll be fine. I just want to know how much time I have left."

The man in white robes cleared his throat and looked at everyone in the room, waiting for an answer. A man with round glasses and in a lab coat consulted a chart nearby.

"It says here you should be dead now," he answered, but quickly continued when he noticed the man in white robes's glare. "H-However, because of her 'special' circumstances, you still have another week at the most, three days at the least."

The man in white robes turned to look at the woman laying on the ground with seals drawn on and around her.

"I told you already not look at me like that. I've lived a long, full life; I'm not afraid of dying," she told him and eventually, she lost consciousness.

"Hokage-sama!" a woman cried out in worry, but Hiruzen just held out a hand.

"She needs to rest, don't worry," he informed her before snapping his fingers. Three ANBU appeared: Hawk, Boar and Tiger. "Get the carriage ready! We're leaving."

"Hiruzen," a voice called out and Hiruzen sighed; he really didn't want to deal with him now. "What are we going to do with the Kyūbi?" Hiruzen turned to his old teammate, Danzō. "We have to seal it into something or someone more durable than a scroll."

"I know, Danzō, I know. I already have someone in mind."

"You're not speaking of that girl, are you? She wasn't even born here. What makes you think she won't get up and leave the village one day?" Danzō chided but was silenced by the sudden killing intent radiating off Hiruzen.

"She is the only hope we have; she shares the same blood as Lady Mito. She is the only one I can think of who can stand having the Kyūbi sealed in them and not get ripped apart from the inside," he said confidently. "While it is true that she wasn't born here, I have observed her, I know she will not betray this village."

"You're such a fool for having faith in such a child," Danzō insulted. "What of Orochimaru? I've heard he has an incredible healing rate, and I'm sure with his intellect, he could put the beast's power to good use," he suggested but Hiruzen glared at the man.

"She will be the new Jinchūriki for the Nine-Tailed Fox! I've already made my choice!" Hiruzen declared, releasing more of his killing intent. "Orochimaru will have nothing to do with the Kyūbi. No one will!"

Danzō bit his tongue, knowing that crossing an angry Hiruzen would be a bad idea for his career and health. "As you wish... _Hokage-sama_," he said sarcastically. Without another word, Danzō left the room.

"Are you okay, Hokage-sama?" the man with the glasses asked. Hiruzen nodded and looked down at Lady Mito.

How would anyone tell a twelve-year-old that a monster was about to take residence in her stomach?

* * *

><p><strong>Dramatic ending...<strong>

**Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I sure had fun writing it...**

**I just love this pairing, almost as much as Naruhina (but still less) and episode 246; loved it...**

**I'm sorry if things are a bit confusing but I promise I'll try answering any questions you may have about the story, don't be afraid to ask...**

**Till next time!**

**Next Chapter: Let the Chunin Exams Begin!**


	5. Let the Chunin Exams Begin!

**Well! It's finally here, chapter 5!**

**I hope it sates your thirst for this story, for now...**

**_"Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."  
><em>****~Mattie Stepanek**

**Chapter 5: Let the Chūnin Exams Begin!  
><strong>

**I don't own anything...**

* * *

><p>Tension filled the room Minato was currently in, what with ninety-two Genin nervously waiting for the exams to begin. Standing around, trying not to appear nervous or scared, chatting with their friends and teammates, or, in Fugaku's case, just glaring arrogantly at his competition. There were currently only three people Minato knew personally, and of those three, two were his teammates. He ignored the heated glare Fugaku was sending him and tried his best to seem indifferent.<p>

Easier said than done.

"Hey," Daichi called out without facing the blond Genin. Minato, noticing this, continued to look out at the rest of Konoha's Chūnin-hopefuls.

"Yeah?"

"Where have you been? Sensei, Kana and I have been looking for you ever since you disappeared."

"Dealing with the skeletons in my closet," Minato answered coolly, being as vague as possible. He still didn't want to tell his teammates of his past, even though he knew he wasn't being fair to them. To his surprise, Kana had yet to say anything to him, even after his vague answer. Daichi wanted to know what he meant, but decided against it when he saw the look Minato had on. He was too occupied with the Exams now, and it wouldn't do to distract him with the past. Shaking his head, Daichi turned his attention to the Exams as well; it wouldn't do to hinder his own performance either.

Without prior warning, a large bundle of white hair flew through the once-closed door, across the room - somehow avoiding all the Genin - and through the now-shattered window. All Genin blinked at the sudden event and turned to the door where and very voluptuous and beautiful blonde now stood, annoyed and seemingly drunk. She turned her eyes to the sea of fearful Genin and scoffed.

Out of nowhere, Minato raised both hands and had a white scoreboard with the number 'Nine' drawn on, bold and big. This, surprisingly, brought a smile on the blonde's lips.

"While he wasn't behaving as he should've," A rough voice called out from the hallway before walking passed Tsunade and entering the room, revealing him to be the Third Hokage. "I'm sure there were many alternatives to punching him as you did, Tsunade-chan," Hiruzen finished, causing the blond to scoff and look away from her sensei. He sighed at her reaction and forced a smile to grace his mouth as he faced his Shinobi.

"Well, I see a lot of new faces this year!" a gleam lit up the Hokage's eyes as he took in Jiraiya's student off in the back. He had kept up with the prodigy's progress ever since he graduated and he was surprised he hadn't tried to take the exams earlier. HE figured Jiraiya had something to do with it but whenever he even implied, the white-haired sannin would nonchalantly shrug off the accusation. "I can see the Will of Fire burn in each and every one of you."

"Sensei," Tsunade drawled out the word to catch his attention. "As thrilling as your speeches are, I think we should start the first part of the Exams already," she chided discreetly. trying not to flat-out disrespect the Leader of the Village in front of his loyal Shinobi. A tic mark and a twitching eye revealed that she could've done a better job.

"Yes, well," Hiruzen said after coughing into his left balled-up fist. "This Exam will be divided up into three parts. The first will consist of a written test. The others-"

"Will be a secret," a voice interrupted. Walking in, the voice proved to be another of the Hokage's students, Orochimaru. Wearing the typical ninja-wear of Konoha, Orochimaru walked in front of Tsunade and Hiruzen and faced the Genin, arms held behind is back, Turning his head to give his sensei a side-ways glance, Orochimaru playfully glared at Hiruzen. "Don't spoil it for the children. What kind of fun will they have if they knew what to expect?"

Hiruzen stared deadpan at his student before moving to his female student. He shook his head and felt his temper rise; the youth have no respect for their elders these days.

Before he could re-position himself as the boss, Jiraiya jumped into the room via the broken window and glared at Tsunade.

"That was uncalled for," he barked, his anger sky-rocketing from her amused smirk and the nonchalant way she carried herself.

"My dear Jiraiya, I surely have no idea what you're talking about," and without missing a beat, she grabbed the front of his collar and brought his face up to hers, her smirk shifting to a deviant one. Jiraiya gulped in fear. "But if I did, I would tell you that it wasn't 'uncalled for', as you put it. Next time, I won't be so nice," she released her grip and settled back into her place beside Hiruzen, crossed her arms under her impressive bust - causing them to rise - and stared at the crowd. She noticed majority of the boys were staring at her as if she was a goddess and she managed to subdue the urge to beat the young perverts within an inch of their young lives. She wasn't sure what she should think of the blush on the blond prodigy since he was blushing, too, but wasn't looking at her.

"Now then-" Hiruzen began.

"You two should get a room. Preferably, one that's not this one," Orochimaru commented offhandedly, causing both of his teammates to blush, look at him, then at each other, before settling on looking in opposite directions.

"Oro-" once again, before he could even finish...

"I'm not even going to dignify that comment with a response," Tsunade barked out, visibly annoyed. Jiraiya's frown deepened but he didn't say anything.

Minato noticed the annoyed look flash in his sensei's eyes and wondered what that was about.

And it continued like that for a good two minutes, with Hiruzen's students interrupting him before he could go on to the next syllable. It continued until finally, the Hokage snapped.

"Enough!" the elder man barked as he glared at his three students and emitted a paralyzing amount of Killing Intent. Of course, it only paralyzed the Genin in the room. Minato felt as if his heart was trying to claw its way out of his chest. He managed to look up and see that his teammates were worse off than he was. In fact, majority of the occupants in the room fell to their knees or flat on their stomachs. Minato took note of the three other Genin in the room that he knew would be tough to beat; Fugaku Uchiha and twins he knew to be from the Hyūga clan. None of them looked okay - far from it - but he was surprised when he was doing as good, if not better than the Uchiha. He could see the hate gleaming in his eyes and Minato managed to sigh exasperatedly.

And just like that, the unseen pressure vanished and everyone tried to catch their second wind. Minato met Fugaku's glare one more time, something tell him that he wouldn't hear the last of this.

It was then that the Genin noticed that all but one Sannin left.

"Now that you all aren't emptying your bowels, we can beginning with the first portion of the Exams," Orochimaru said with an amused grin, causing most of the Genin to shake.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Hiruzen watched as Jiraiya and Tsunade scrubbed the floor of his office with a toothbrush each. Two-thirds of the best team since the First and Second Hokage were in his office, cleaning it as if two scolded children. The smile on his face could not have stretched any further without splitting his face in half.

"Maybe next time, you two will think twice about disrespecting me in front of my Shinobi," Hiruzen chided, watching his students scowl but not utter a word. He took in a deep breath and looked out his window. "Today... Today will be an interesting day," he stated aloofly, not noticing the strange looks his students were giving him.

"Crazy monkey," Jiraia muttered under his breath, earning a muffled chuckle from the Slug Princess. Jiraiya turned to her and gave her a winning smile. Tsunade blinked, a light pink tint coloring her cheeks. She couldn't pinpoint what it was that made her blush, or even what made her heart jump, but she didn't want him to let him know how he had affected her. She turned her head and continued cleaning, much to Jiraiya's confusion. His frown returned and he began mumbling about how confusing and unnecessarily difficult women were.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Minato stared at the stapled pieces of paper, before turning to one of the Hyūga Twins that he was paired with. It was an odd test; first, Orochimaru had explained that they were going to be paired with a random Genin. From there, the two would work together to finish it, member A worked on the first half, and member B worked on the second half. He had also mentioned that they had to score at least a ninety-seven percent, any less would be considered a failing score.

Minato had to rack his brain on all fifteen question, every once in a while sneaking a glance to his Hyūga partner for some kind of help. Every time he heard a snake hiss, Minato would flinch and look up to see a snake staring at him.

Now that he remembered, Orochimaru offhandedly mentioned that cheating was not allowed and after the third time, the team would be disqualified. The eighth team was already making its way out of the room. Minato couldn't even ask for his own partner's help. It wasn't until after they reached the last sheet of paper could they look to each other.

He was just glad he had finished his portion of the test, and now he just had to wait for his partner. He noticed, from the corner of his eyes, that the Hyūga was cheating! He had activated his clan's famous dōjutsu: the Byakugan. Minato didn't outwardly show it, but on the inside, he was flipping out. If Orochimaru or any of his snakes watching and slithering around the room saw him, they would be disqualified. Not that he cared about passing on to Chūnin at this point in his life; he was still young and had all the time in the world to rank up. The truth was - and it even surprised him - he didn't want to lose to Fugaku. He wouldn't give the pompous Uchiha a reason to look down on him, more so than he already did.

Hopefully, Orochimaru or his snakes wouldn't think it odd that the Hyūga had his head down with an arm covering his face from them. Sweat traveled down his brow, looking left and right, his eyes flowing the snakes that would often disappear under the desks, bookshelves and books that inhabited the room.

With as much subtlety as he possessed, Minato surveyed his teammates that were fortunately positioned in front of his vision; Kana sitting two desks in front of his and Daichi sitting in the very first desk on the right side of the room. He could see that Kana had given up at some point, if her frustrated expression had anything to say about it, and Daichi was still trying to figure out the questions. His eyes dashed up when he heard a low chuckle coming from the proctor.

As if it wasn't bad enough that he knew he hadn't passed the test, Orochimaru was looking him straight in the eyes as he continued to chuckle. He felt his body tense and his blood turn cold. Why was Jiraiya's old teammate looking at him? Did he think he was cheating? If so, why didn't he call him out and kick him out, Minato was sure he had been caught 'cheating' multiple times.

His eyes snapped to the pencil held by his Hyūga teammate. He met his eyes and saw that he was bored but managed to finish the test. They turned the sheet over to the last sheet of paper, which had one last question; it was repeated on the bottom half of the page with a thin line splitting it. Minato and the Hyūga shared a look before looking up at their proctor.

As if reading their minds, Orochimaru chuckled a bit louder. "There is ten minutes left in the test, then we can begin with the fun part. I'd advise those who still haven't finished the test to do so before the ten minutes are up," he called out. Minato sighed silently and waited patiently for time to tick by. He felt the Hyūga nudge him and when he looked down, he saw him pass him the bottom half of the paper, a neat trim where the line once was. He looked at his teammate but the Hyūga motioned him to read the slip. Minato picked it up and read it.

_Congratulations on reaching the final portion of the written portion of the Exams._

_Now comes the easy part:_

_Simply circle the option of your choosing and turn in this slip, along with your partner's and your exam._

_A) Resume the Exams, but enter your teammate's name in a drawing._

_OR_

_B) Take a harder written portion by yourself._

Minato stared at the slip oddly, turning to his teammate but he was staring at Orochimaru, who clapped his hands.

"Pencils down, Genin. Now comes the fun part," Minato shivered when Orochimaru said the last part. "For those who haven't read the slip already, everyone is getting two options. Option A: continue to the second part of the Exams, but have your partner's name added to drawing that will come before the second part. Option B: your partner's name won't be placed in the drawing, but you'll have to take a harder test. Believe me when I say that this test is nothing compared to the other. Even I, a genius among my peers, would have some difficulty with it."

The Genin began mumbling about how easy this part was, option B couldn't hold a candle to option A. Minato, however, felt something was off.

"What kind of drawing?" The Hyūga twin not on his team asked, skepticism dripping in his voice. A chuckle was bubbling up in Orochimaru's throat before it became full-blown laughter.

"Ah, yes, I was wondering if anyone would ask," Orochimaru began to pace around the front of the room, all eyes following him as he hummed and thought to himself. "The drawing, you see, is to see which Genin will not be permitted to finish and even retake the Chūnin Exams," he answered coolly, dropping the metaphoric bomb on the Genin. The outraged cries of the Genin filled the room, causing Orochimaru's smirk to turn to a frown. With a swiftness attained by years of training and experience, Orochimaru slammed his hand on the wall behind him and summoned a giant boa, which let out a roar that startled most of the Genin. Minato had been prepared to jump out of its way, seeing as it looked ready to pounce the entire Chūnin-hopefuls.

"Now I see why Sarutobi-sensei got so angry," Orochimaru stated to himself. "As I was saying, the drawing will be held to see which of you will not be able to finish and retake the Chūnin Exams. For a certain extent of time," he paused, letting the words sink in.

"How many of the genin will be chosen?" Kana asked defiantly, annoyance coloring her words. "How many times will a Genin's name be pulled out? One? Three? Ninety-two? And for how long would we be banned to take the Chūnin Exams?"

Orochimaru chuckled in amusement. "Well, it's not so much a number as much as a percentage," he answered, closing his eyes as he did so. "If we just chose a specific number, then what would happen if there were a lesser number of entries? Or greater? The effects wouldn't be the same," he continued, opening his eyes once more, this time, there was no amusement, no sick joy in them. "Out of all the entries, ninety percent of them will be dropped."

The effects were immediate and soon, the Genin found themselves looking at their respective teammate. "Of course, as Shinobi, you know nothing is as simple as it seems. With every passing ten percent, the amount of time needed to wait to retake the Exams will be greater. The first ten percent will have to wait five whole years," the Genin were about to complain again but hesitated when they saw the large boa begin to tense its body again. When Orochimaru saw that no one would speak again, he continued.

"The next ten percent will have to wait ten years, the next will be fifteen, and so on and so forth," his smirk returned when he saw the pale, dreaded looks the young Shinobi held. He hadn't had so much fun in a long time. Now was his favorite part. "However, the last ten out of the ninety percent won't have to worry about that, for they won't have to wait to retake the Exams," Orochimaru leaned forward, a sick, demented smirk crossing his lips.

"Because they are being dropped from the Shinobi program. Permanently."

The room was so quiet that everyone could hear the boa's lunch still squeaking in its belly. "What about the entries not in the ninety percent?" Minato asked, seeing as everyone's jaw were too busy touching the floor.

"The remaining entries will be given a make-up exam," Orochimaru answered as if it was the most boring thing he had to answer. "Of course, that is, if you all choose option A."

"What happens if we choose option B?" a random Genin asked, getting shouts of agreement and rephrased questions.

"Well, your teammate's name will not be put in the drawing. But, like it says, you will have to take a harder version of this test. By yourself. If you pass, you proceed to the next portion. If you fail... well, I hope to see you again next year."

He saw the conflicted looks of the young Shinobi and his smirk widened. "You have exactly sixty seconds to decide. Choose wisely. Oh and before I forget, please don't share your answers. That'll just ruin the surprise."

Minato stared at his teammate, sharing a look of conflicting emotions. On the one hand, Minato didn't want to take a harder test; this one was hard enough! If he could just pass on to the next portion with no problem, he would. On the other hand, he didn't want to risk his teammate's Shinobi career just so he could advance his. He could see his Hyūga comrade was thinking along the same lines. His worry grew when he saw that the HYūga's eyes steeled with resolve and he circled his option. Minato turned so he wouldn't be tempted to see.

_'I don't have much of a choice,'_ he thought as he grabbed the pencil offered to him by his teammate and circled his choice. He flipped it on its back to it could not be seen and saw that his teammate had done the same.

When it seemed like everyone made their choice, even before the sixty seconds, Orochimaru snapped his fingers and ninety-two small snakes crawled up the desks and collected the slips and the exams.

"I'll be back with the results, in the meantime, feel free to talk amongst yourselves," he said and walked out of the room with his snakes following behind him. When the door slammed shut, all hell broke loose.

"How'd you do?" Minato was already behind Daichi, giving him a mini-heart-attack.

"Not so bad," he lied after calming his heart rate. "you?"

"Could've done better," Minato answered, making Daichi shake his head.

"I did great!" Kana said as she walked up to her teammates. Minato smiled and congratulated his female comrade, and they began discussing the exams, excluding the last portion. They were afraid that if they even uttered a word that would indicate that topic, a snake would eat them whole.

From the corner of his eye, Minato saw the Hyūga that wasn't on his team looking at him, eyeing him cautiously. He was probably wondering what he chose. Minato also saw Fugaku staring at him, as if willing him to spontaneously combust.

Time passed and finally, Orochimaru entered the room again, followed by his intimidating boa. Minato had to admit, it was a very useful form of crowd-control.

"The exams have been scored and we've counted all of the slips," he paused, giving them time to understand what he just said. "I will call out names, and these Genin will move to the other room," he instructed them, and began calling out names without further explanations. Minato could feel his sweat crawl out of his pores and travel down his body. The tension was killing him, wondering if he would be called to go to the next room. What would happen to those called to the other room? Would he want to go to that room? Is that where the harder test would take place?

"Suzuki Kana..." Minato blinked up and watched as said girl stood up and walked out of the room. Her body language just screamed pride and yet, Minato could see the fear in her eyes, wondering what Fate had in store for her in the other room. He hoped she would be given an opportunity to advance to the second portion of the Exams.

"Kururugi Daichi..."

"Let's hope this is a good thing," Daichi mumbled to Minato as he stood, his demeanor also presenting pride and courage as he made his way out of the room. After that, Minato heard no other name he recognized. One of the Hyūga had his name called out - Hiashi if he heard right - and while the brothers weren't thrilled about being separated, the remaining refused to show any emotion. Minato could feel the knot in his stomach tightening, even as Orochimaru called out the last name on the list. His name hadn't made the list. Only twenty Genin were left. Should he be happy? He sure didn't feel happy, considering that his teammates had been called and he hadn't. Whatever happened at this point didn't matter; his team had already been split.

"Now, as for the remainder of you, you will wait here until the next proctor comes to give you further instructions," without another word, Orochimaru left with his boa. The echo of the door closing rang through the ears of the remaining Chūnin-hopefuls.

"So," the haught voice said behind Minato, making him turn so he could face Fugaku. "Looks like you passed, what a miracle," he mocked as he twirled a finger in the blond's hair. Minato lightly glared at Fugaku and slapped his hand away from his hair.

"What makes you say I passed?" he asked suspiciously. Fugaku just laughed.

"Because you got placed in the same group as me," he said that as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hn, you have no idea how little that actually means," a stoic voice interrupted their conversation. The two turned to see the remaining Hyūga stare at Fugaku. "You Uchiha think that because of your Sharingan, that makes you superior to all in Konohagakure. That you have no one to call equal," the Hyūga's passive stare turned cold. "Your clan's arrogance will be their downfall and I will make sure yours will be by my hands," he said with such conviction that Minato could feel it radiate from the Hyūga.

Fugaku scoffed, looked away and shrugged off the Hyūga like an adult would a child. "We'll see about that, Hyūga lapdog," Fugaku turned his eyes to the Hyūga and saw that his insult had hit home.

Before he could reply, the door slammed open and in walked the blond bombshell from earlier. "All right, quiet down, you little brats," Tsunade said in a commanding voice. A pin being dropped in another room would be heard in the room from how quiet it was. They had what she was capable of earlier, as soon by the now-known Jiraiya of the Sannin, and she had the attitude to back it up. No one wanted to be on her bad side. Not today.

"Seeing as it was my cynical and demented teammate who oversaw this exam, I'm sure he left you all wondering what happens you," Minato blinked and wondered why her gaze lingered longer on him. He could feel his cheeks heat up and tried his best to subdue it.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that I won't sugar-coat anything for you, just because you're all babies. Not now, and not while you take the second portion of the Chūnin Exams," she smiled, seeing the look of utter fear on the Genins' faces. She almost broke her composure when she saw them register what she just said and began to cheer for their success. If it wasn't for her training, she would probably be laughing, holding her sides as she rolled on the floor.

Minato couldn't help but smile bitter-sweetly. He had passed! So had Fugaku but that didn't matter so much as him passing. And yet, only he passed. Kana and Daichi would have to wait until next year-

"Wait," Minato called out, bring Tsunade out of her musings. "Does this mean we have to take the harder test? What about those called to the other room, will their names be in the drawing?" the question had brought down the cheers and good mood of those in the room. Aside from Minato, the Hyūga had been the only one to celebrate his passing silently. But now, he stared Tsunade expectantly, as daring her to say something that would negatively effect his brother.

The room was surprised when Tsunade blinked, complete and utter confusion dominating her expression. "Harder test? Oh!" she snapped her hands and laughed. "Now I remember! Yeah, that was all a hoax."

"HUH?" was the reaction of the room.

Tsunade smiled warmly. "You see, brats, there is more to being a Konoha-nin than being strong and born in Konohagakure," she began, watching as everyone in the room hung to every word. "You must be loyal to your village, your Hokage and your fellow comrades.

"We could teach any Shinobi to weave hand signs, focus their chakra and harness it to perform feats deemed impossible by civilians. But to be a Shinobi for Konoha, you must learn what it means to be a team, to be able to work with your brother or sister in arms, and sacrifice yourself for them. In this case, you had to choose between resuming your test, at the cost of your teammate's career, or take a harder test, while keeping your teammate's name away from the drawing."

She paused and surveyed the room. Majority of them were paying attention, but she noticed the Uchiha looked as if he wanted to be somewhere else. A tic mark appeared on her forehead, above her left eyebrow, but she ignored him for now.

"Everyone in here took a risk and chose to take the harder test. They manned up, for the sake of their comrade! The ability to be courageous and survive any hardship; these are the abilities needed to become a Chūnin. Those who can't put their destinies on the line, who cling to the uncertain future of "I'm sure they'll be ok," and walk away from their chance to support their comrade… those pieces of trash who can only make such cowardly choices do not deserve to become chūnin!"

Tsunade's words struck Minato hard, filling him up with a sense of pride, that he had chosen correctly. He had deemed it necessary to take a harder test, to make sure his teammate's Shinobi career would not end here. He turned to the Hyūga and knew that he too chose not to send Minato off to face his doom. He nodded his thanks to him, receiving one back.

After some pondering, Tsunade shrugged as she remembered something.

"Oh, and it doesn't hurt that this taught you how to gather information while under the scope," Minato blinked confusingly at this statement.

"Gather information?" however, no one got a chance to ask her to clarify, she already started speaking.

"As for the seventy-two Genin in the next room...," she shrugged indifferently. "Who knows?"

Minato bit his lip, hoping that his teammates would be okay.

"Now, take the next hour to recuperate your young, little minds and get yourself ready for the next test," her warm smile turned harsh and deviant as she began exiting the room. "When the hour is up, I will be expecting you twenty at Training Ground No. 44; otherwise known as the Forest of Death."

* * *

><p><strong>Gotta stop it here, sorry guys...<strong>

**Well, I had a hell of a night writing this... I got this done and sometime in between, ran over a wild boar (totally by accident) and almost messed up my car in the process... *Stupid boar***

**Anyway, I hope this part of the exam makes sense.. With my sleep-deprived brain, I can't be too sure... If there are any mistakes, I promise I'll fix them soon...**

**Hopefully, I won't have to but I'm not holding my breath...**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to dish out a new chapter as soon as possible...**

**Till next time..**

**Next Chapter: The Enemy of my Ally is our... Ally?  
><strong>

**Good luck with whatever!**


	6. The Enemy of my Ally is my Ally?

Standing in front of the Forest of Death, Minato _felt_ like a small insect in comparison to the massive trees that towered over him. He tried to look pass the fence and trees but the shadows were adamant in keeping the unknown a mystery to the blond teen. He blinked when his eyes caught movement in the shadows, his blood running cold a second after; did something just smile at him in there?

Tsunade watched her twenty victims stare at the forest behind her with fear and dread. And with good reason; even she didn't want to be near the damned place, but she didn't really have a choice.

"All right, bed-wetters and blanket-huggers alike, shut up and listen up. I'm only going to say this once; the second part of the Chunin Exams will be a no-holds-barred free-for-all fight," she paused to let her words register. She noticed how some of the Genin present seemed excited by the aspect, specifically the Uchiha. She never cared much for the Uchiha clan, didn't hate nor like them one way or another, but the smug look on his face made her want to bury her fist into it. In contrast, Jiraiya's kid looked about ready to walk out the test. "You will enter the forest by your assigned gate and wait for the signal to start the test. I have two rules, the biggest one I have is no killing each other. You can beat each other silly until your knuckles break but there will be absolutely no senseless killing. My rules are absolute here and if I find out that one of you brats breaks my big rule... well, this forest will eat you alive," she punctuated her statement with a wicked grin, one that would've made Orochimaru jealous. A chilling sensation travelled down the spine of every Genin before her, the reaction she had been hoping to see.

"Each of you will be given three gem shards," she held up a thin piece of a red gem up, moving it so everyone could see it. "To pass this portion of the exam, you will need to bring ten shards to the tower positioned in the middle of the forest."

"Wait, that means that only six of us will pass! What the f-" the Chunin-hopeful was silenced when Tsunade suddenly appeared in front of him and lifted him by the scruff of his collar. She brought the teen up to eye-level and glared at him. The poor boy stared back in fear, as if the Shinigami itself stood before him. When she was sure he wouldn't say more, she dropped him unceremoniously and moved to stand in front of the teens.

"As I was saying, the only way to enter the tower and escape this hell on Earth, is to walk to the doors of the tower and turn in ten shards. You must fight one another to accumulate the ten shards. My second rule is that you will not be able to fight the same opponent more than once," she paused as she noticed her victims appeared ready to voice their opinions. With a raise of her right eyebrow, however, not a single sound was made. "This will make it harder to gather all ten shards, I know. Get over it. Also, there are cameras all around the forest, so don't think you can get away taking more than one shard at a time. If there aren't any questions, go get your shards and then head for your assigned gate. Good luck, rugrats, I'd hate to be you right now," she finished, a wicked grin gracing her luscious lips at her last statement. The Genin gulped in fear but followed her directions to the letter, lest they wish to bring about her wrath.

Minato waited patiently in line, behind Hizashi Hyuga. His mind was currently thinking over Tsunade's rules and couldn't help but frown.

'Could this be a trick to test out loyalty against our comrades? Wasn't that the point of the previous part? No, they wouldn't do that, they already tested everyone's loyalty, there's be no point in testing us on the same subject. So I guess they really expect us to fight each other.'

"Minato," said boy blinked at the mention of his name, looking up to see Hizashi staring into his eyes. "You are no enemy of mine," he stated stoically, before his brow scrunched a bit and his gaze hardened. "However, I will do what I must to pass this test." Minato nodding, understanding his message, 'get in my way and you'll be losing a shard'.

"Good luck," the Hyuga nodded in return, before turning forward and walking up to the Chunin handing out a cloth bag, the gems inside clinking as they shifted from the movement. The blond teen noticed that there was a number stitched to the bag. It must be the gate they had to enter through. Minato stepped up next and grabbed his bag, bowing and thanking the Chunin before walking off. Curiosity got the better of him, causing him to open the bag and take out a shard. He stared at it's magnificently red color, marveling at it's unique color. It reminded him so much of Kushina; he briefly wondered what the red-haired girl was doing now before rushing to his gate.

* * *

><p>Kushina sat down on a stool, wildly enjoying the ramen placed in front of her. It must have been her fifth bowl but she wasn't so sure; it felt like it was still her first. It was all right, the owner had told her he had enough to feed her seven more bowls if she'd wish, so long as she had the money to pay for it. Of course, she didn't, but she was content with the five bowls she had. She stopped mid-way through her last bowl, savoring the noodles with it's pork flavor. Oh, how glorious her comfort food was, it was as if the gods had created the delicacy just for her.<p>

"I had a feeling you'd be here. You're predictability is the only thing about you that's not so bothersome, Kushina," a monotonous tone said behind the redhead. She turned and was greeted to the sight of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Her face deadpanned and she swallowed the ramen in her mouth hurriedly. Unfortunately, there was one noodle that didn't go down without a fight. She grabbed for her throat, blinking spastically while she tried to down the damned noodle. The redhead fell to the ground, her back slamming on the unforgiving ground. The three Genin watched her try to swallow the ramen noodle with little luck before she finally managed to get it down her throat. She gasped for air for a few moments before she glared at the boys who just stood and stared while she choked to death.

"I knew you wouldn't die," Shikaku had said non-chalantly. That did nothing to calm the girl and she looked ready to beat the hell out of all three of them.

"Hey, hey, whoa! We come in peace!" Inoichi held up his hands defensively as he said that. Kushina's eyes hardened.

"And you'll leave in pieces," she growled out through gritted teeth.

Shikaku sighed. "What a drag, how about we make it up to you; a bowl of ramen on us-" he didn't even finish speaking before the female Genin grabbed the Nara and sat him beside her.

"Another five bowls, gramps!" Kushina shouted with glee.

"Wha-no! I didn't-" he stopped when Kushina directed a glare at him. He sighed exasperatedly, propping his face on his hand and his elbow on the counter. "What a drag..."

"So, why were you looking for me?" Kushina asked. Shikaku blinked, as if he had just noticed that Kushina was beside him. It clicked in his head and he shook his head.

"We came to see if you knew who your teammates are," he answered as Inoichi and Chouza sat to his left, away from the fiery redhead. She turned her eyes to the three stooges and watched them squirm under her gaze before turning her eyes to her hands on the table.

"I was supposed to meet my sensei at Training Ground 3 to be evaluated, but," she looked back up at them with a smile. "I got hungry so I came here!" The three friends just stared at her, unsure of what to say.

"...red-haired girl..." Kushina's ears twitched at the sound of someone saying that. She looked back and out the little ramen stand to see a man questioning a random elderly citizen. The man looked like a typical Konoha Jonin, with the exception that there was a four-point star stitched on his right shoulder with the Uchiha crest in the center of the star. Also accompanying the Uchiha was a familiar looking face.

'So, that baby went crying to his daddy, huh? Psh,' Kushina scoffed as she turned to her companions, who looked at her expectantly.

"Uh, hey, listen, I'll be back, I gotta go get something from my house, but I'll be back for the ramen," she stated before getting off the stool and walking out, not allowing any of the boys to say something. She walked out as quietly as she could, hoping she wouldn't attract the policeman's eyes. Snickering at her victory as she made a turn at the street, she laughed loudly when she couldn't see them anymore. Her victory was short lived because she soon bumped into someone. She opened her mouth to give the stranger a harsh tongue lashing but stopped when she noticed that it was the second Uchiha boy with his father, the younger Uchiha smirking snobbishly.

The older Uchiha stared down at Kushina, his eyes hardened and sharp. "That's her, dad!" the boy shouted, pointing a finger straight at Kushina. Said redhead glared at him, before turning her eyes to the tallest of the three.

"Come with me," the man said, his voice hard and stoic. Kushina wanted to resist, but she knew running away would only make her look guilty. Besides, there was no way she'd be able to get away before the policeman called for back-up. Off in the distance, a pair of black eyes watched the interaction between them, following after them as they left.

* * *

><p>Minato took his time, leisurely making his way through the forest. He made sure to remember everything he ran into; like the house-sized centipede or snakes lurking around. If he was going to survive in this environment, he'd had to be smart and cautious.<p>

From the left side of his peripheral, he saw a glimmer shine for a split second. Odd thing about it was the fact that it was heading his way. With the grace he had acquired through his two years training under Jiraiya of the Sannin, Minato bent back just in time to avoid a Shuriken from penetrating his chest. Following the momentum he gathered, he flipped back five meters before stopping and looking up. He spotted a smirking Fugaku with his arms crossed. Before Minato could utter a word, the Uchiha leapt off, running in the opposite direction.

Minato contemplated going after him; it was clearly a ploy so he'd chase after him.

"Hey," Minato blinked and turned around, only to narrowly miss getting hit in the head by a katana's sheath. He was surprised to see two other Genin staring him down, with the owner of the katana standing to the right. How could he have let two Genin sneak up on him like that? He'll never hear the end of this if this ever reaches Jiraiya.

"Give us a shard or prepare for a beating of a lifetime," the boy with the katana declared smugly. His companion simply chuckled to himself and prepared himself for a fight.

Minato just eyed them oddly. "I didn't know we could team up," he stated. The boy with the katana laughed.

"Tsunade never said we couldn't," he replied back and Minato was hard-pressed to argue with his logic. Before he could question him further, the two Genin charged forward, making short work of the distance between the three. Their confidence grew when they saw that they would reach him before he could even fall into a fighting stance. They knew they chose right when they came to him for their first fight.

And just as quickly as their arrogance grew, so did their chance of losing the fight. Minato ducked down at the last second, ignoring their astonished faces. His eyes hardened as he jumped away from the two faster than either could anticipate.

"You brat-" the boy with the katana stopped mid-sentence when he noticed that his katana was not in its sheath. He looked towards Minato, surprised to see that he was examining it in his hands. When he was satisfied, he tossed the blade back towards its owner, the katana stabbing into the ground. The teen eyed Minato warily before reaching for his katana. Just as his hand grazed the pommel, Minato's foot stepped on it, with most of his weight on it. Before the teen could yell, Minato then used the katana as leverage and brought his other knee up and drove it up to the teen's chin. The teen was sent flying back before crashing down seven meters away. His comrade could only stare in awe, mouth agape. The blond kid had knocked out his friend in a little under a minute, and he hadn't even broken a sweat!

Without acknowledging that the other teen was there, Minato walked over to the unconscious teen and went through his kunai pouch, producing a gem shard from it. He stared at it with critical eyes before nodding and pocketing it. He turned his cerulean eyes to the only other person around, sending chills down his spine.

"Are you going to fight too, or are you going to cooperate?" Minato asked neutrally. Though he had relaxed from his stance, the older teen knew Minato would be ready if he even looked hostile. This kid was faster than anyone he'd ever seen!

Not wanting to upset the kid, the teen fell to his knees, throwing a gem to Minato. The blond caught it with no trouble, examining this one again before he put it away. He turned his back to the conscious teen and began walking away.

The teen watched him go, his ire growing and growing the longer he watched Minato. 'I can't just stand by and do nothing! Now is my chance!'

Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he zipped down the gap between him and Minato, hoping to catch the smaller Genin off gaurd. He threw his right fist forward, throwing all his weight into the punch.

With a swiftness beyond his years, Minato turned and ducked down. The older Genin's fist flew harmlessly over his head and he hovered over Minato for a split second, but in that time, he saw where he made his mistake. The blond Genin lifted his body up, bring his hand over the teen's head and pulling down as his shoulders pushed his opponent's body upward. The teen flipped over him and landed harshly on his back. White stars filled his vision for moment before it cleared and he was able to see Minato's fist only two inches away from his nose.

"It's over," he spoke with such authority that the teen could only gape in shock.

Minato righted himself and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the teen alone with his unconscious partner.

* * *

><p>Minato landed in a clearing hundreds of meters away, his breath deep and labored. And yet, a smile was threatening to split his face in half. Not even two hours have passed and he had two more gems than he did when he started.<p>

His joy was short-lived when he heard two pairs of sandals land on the other side of the clearing. In a flash, he dropped into a fighting stance. He was surprised to see two Genin from well-known clans standing side by side, facing him. One wore a typical battle kimono belonging to the Hyuga clan. His clan's trademark Byakugan eyes staring at him stoicly with a frown securely in his lips. The teen next to him wore a black V T-shirt with his collar up, black shorts stopping just under his knees. His black hair covered his eyes from the sun but Minato could clearly see his onyx orbs gleaming with mischief.

Minato dropped his stance but kept his body ready to move, just in case they would prove hostile.

"What do you two want? A shard?"

"Hn, as much as I'd like one, I've come to propose something different," Fugaku replied, smirking arrogantly in light of Minato's confusion.

The Hyuga stepped forward, drawing Minato's eye. "We come here to offer you a chance to join us."

Minato's eyes widened; he wasn't expecting that!

* * *

><p>"For the last time, I didn't randomly beat him up. He came up to me and attacked me," Kushina cried out in frustration. The elder Uchiha glared at the young redhead, his arms crossed over his chest. His son stood off from them, watching them with a smug look on his face. The man had walked the two off to the side, to the closest clearing. Kushina had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach about it but knew for now, she'd have to play by the man's rules; she just needed to find a way out of this first.<p>

"My son told me he was just hanging out with his friend and you blindsided him. He was out before he could even get the chance to defend himself," with every passing word, the man's anger grew and he had to force the words through his mouth. His dropped his arms back to his side and took a step forward. Kushina grit her teeth and took a step back. This was going

down hill fast! She had to do something, if not-

"Step away from my student, officer," a voice spoke strongly, causing the policeman to freeze, his eyes widening slightly when he turned to face the speaker. Kushina shifted her eyes to where she last saw the younger Uchiha, now seeing a man standing behind him, his hand on the teen's right shoulder.

The kind-faced man had dark eyes with deep lines running beneath them. He had silver hair that reached into the middle of his back and was tied into a ponytail. He wore a typical Konoha uniform, with a pair of gloves, a distinct white-sleeved shirt which had red edges and his right arm wrapped in armor-wraps. The most distinctive thing about him was a holster worn diagonally over his right shoulder.

"My student is right when she said she was attacked. I had left her in my training ground to practice a wind jutsu I was teaching her, when I was called in by the Hokage. He will vouch for me," he stated with a calm tone, a smile laced on his face. "Before I left, I saw these two boys come and bother her. When I saw that she had everything under control, I left, located the nearest ANBU, sent him to investigate and went on my way."

The silver-haired man's smile shrunk but never left his face. "So if you'll please leave me to resume my lesson with my student, I have much to cover."

The officer sneered at the man but said nothing as he walked away, his son following quickly after him, his face displaying his disappointment. Kushina was left flabbergasted, her mouth open and her eyes wide. She turned her violet eyes to her savior and saw that he was staring at the retreating forms of the Uchiha males. When the man was sure they were out of hearing range, he faced Kushina with a warm smile.

"Now, I know this isn't the best way to make a first impression, so let's start over," he puffed his chest out, his hands on his sides and his head tilted back. "Hello, my name is Sakumo Hatake, your new sensei. And you are?"


End file.
